Osaka
by Kagerou Fuji
Summary: For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric. Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji
1. Chapter 1: Tokyo

**Osaka**

**Summary:** For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

So, another one of my stories! xD I posted a cover to my other story (Painless) on my profile. A link to it, anyway. And I drew it myself!

Anyway, if you don't know who Shiraishi is, go watch the first OVA episode (he's the guy in that part when they're drawing for places in the Nationals, he has bandages on his arm and brownish-grayish hair that kind of flips out like Kajimoto's) or go read manga chapter 314. He's really awesome, and he's from the school Shitenhouji, which is my second favorite school (under Hyotei). Wikipedia also has an article about him, which has a picture of him, I believe. Just search 'Shiraishi Kuranosuke'. Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy!

And one more thing: The chapters are named after cities in Japan to match the title (again!). They've got pretty much nothing to do with the story. xD;;

**Chapter 1:**

"Syusuke! Can you please get the mail?" Fuji's sister, Fuji Yumiko, called from the kitchen. Fuji nodded and walked out the front door. It was springtime, and Fuji was expecting something in the mail, something all seniors want to see.

Fuji was a senior in high school, and was currently attending Hyotei high school. He had been somehow recruited by Atobe at the end of junior high, took the entrance exam, and passed with flying colors. He was obviously accepted, and took the offer. All of the people he had met in the various tennis tournaments he had played in during junior high were still attending Hyotei, so they helped Fuji fit in quickly.

Of course, Fuji became very popular very quickly, which is also what happened at Seigaku. The entire school welcomed him with open arms, since they didn't have new students very often. He joined the tennis team, and earned a Singles 2 spot. Not surprisingly, all of their members were freshmen when Fuji's class joined. Atobe, though being a first year, easily gained a spot as captain again, and he kept his narcissistic manner. Their Singles 3 was Oshitari Yuushi, Doubles 1 was Shishido and Ootori, and Doubles 2 was Gakuto and Taki, since Hiyoshi was still in junior high. Atobe worked them even harder than he did before, obviously not pleased about the fact that they hadn't won the national tournament in junior high. With Fuji, though, and all the extra practice and hard work, Hyotei easily cruised through the prefecturals, and then the nationals, almost completely sweeping Seigaku.

Fuji had also gone on to beat many of the people he had lost to in the past, including Shiraishi Kuranosuke. He never played Tezuka on the courts, though, since Tezuka always took the Singles 1 spot, playing against Atobe.

In the latest national tournament, Ryoma was in the line-up as a first year. Hyotei lost Doubles 2, but won Doubles 1. Oshitari won his Singles match against some new person that Fuji had never met. Since Ryoma was in the Singles 1 position, Fuji, in Singles 2, was to play one of his eternal rivals, Tezuka Kunimitsu, finally after two years. They faced each other; Tezuka struggling a bit with Fuji's Gatekeeper of the Hecatoncheires, but finally managing to break it. Fuji then used all of his counters again, but still not being fully serious. When Tezuka was up 5-4, Fuji finally went all out. He reached almost every ball, bringing the score up to 6-6. They then went into a tie-break that was actually as long as Ryoma and Atobe's tie-break in the Nationals two years ago. Fuji's final ball landed in the net, his body finally giving in, and Tezuka won the tie-break, 128 to 126, and won the match 7-6. Fuji wasn't even able to stand after that, and the team virtually had Atobe carry Fuji off the court.

Hyotei won the nationals again that year, though, when Atobe pulled through in the end, beating Ryoma 7-5. Surprisingly, they weren't as evenly matched as Fuji and Tezuka, which showed how much Atobe had trained himself in the past two years, knowing that he would eventually play Ryoma, and not having to go through the humiliation of losing (and getting his head shaved) again.

Fuji nearly skipped out the mailbox, eager to get the item he was waiting for, an acceptance letter from the top Art and Design College in the country. He had applied to that college a couple of months ago, and finally, he was going to find out whether he had been accepted or not. All of his friends at Hyotei, including Atobe and Oshitari, were sure that Fuji would make it in, but he wasn't so sure himself. After all, the school only accepted 8 of its applicants.

Fuji reached into the mailbox with his pale arms (despite the sunny weather), and pulled out everything. He grabbed it with both hands and walked quickly back into the house. Dropping it all delicately on the table, Fuji sifted through the mail. Most of it was for Yumiko, obviously, and Yuuta had gotten one tennis magazine. Fuji's hand stopped on one thick envelope. It was the size of a normal piece of paper, and it was about 1 ½ centimeters thick. He pushed aside a couple of envelopes covering it, and looked at the return address. It was from the college that he had applied to, his dream college. Fuji took a deep breath and carefully tore open the letter. He took out the top sheet of paper and read it. _Dear Fuji Syusuke,_ it read, _We hope to be the first to say, Congratulations! You have been accepted to Osaka University of Arts, a private art university located in Kanan, Minamikawachi District, Osaka Prefecture, Japan._

Fuji caught his breath. He had actually made it into the college! "Yumiko!" he shouted. He lived alone with Yumiko mostly now, since Yuuta was almost always at St. Rudolph, and his parents were virtually always on travel or not in the house.

Yumiko came pounding down the stairs quickly, and ran into the kitchen. "Did you make it into Osaka?" she said excitedly. Fuji nodded happily. Yumiko hugged her brother tightly. "I knew you could make it! I KNEW it!" she shouted.

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The next day, Fuji drove to school, as usual. He slammed the door to his car, locked it, and ran hastily to practice. The first he was approached by was his bouncy friend, Akutagawa Jiroh. He bounced up to him and grabbed his arm, nearly knocking Fuji's keys out of his hand. "Fuji-san! You made it into the school, didn't you?!"

Fuji blinked and laughed. "Am I so obvious?"

Jiroh jumped happily. "I knew it! I knew it I knew it I knew it! You're amazing; I absolutely knew you would make it in!"

Of course, everyone at practice heard Fuji's loud friend. Oshitari and Atobe approached him next. "Ore-sama would like to have the honor of being the second one at Hyotei to congratulate you," he said.

"As high-handed as ever, eh Atobe?" Fuji asked.

"You sound like you haven't seen me in years," Atobe replied.

Fuji smiled. "I feel like a new person, being accepted into this college."

Atobe looked around. By now, everyone had gathered around Fuji. "Since we don't have any tournaments to prepare for, why don't we have a celebration for Fuji?" Everyone cheered, since even though they were high school students, they still loved parties.

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Fuji sighed as he stared out the window of the train. The summer had passed by quickly, with some parties here, and a couple tournaments there. He had been looking forward to this day ever since last spring, though, when he had gotten that letter. He was currently on a train now, from Tokyo to Osaka, where the school that both Hyotei and Seigaku had encountered in the national tournament, Shitenhouji, was from. He only knew three people from there, Shiraishi, Kintaroh, and Chitose. He also partially knew Oshitari's cousin, Kenya, since they talked quite often. But Fuji was looking forward to seeing them again.

The train suddenly came to a screeching halt. Fuji blinked and looked out the window. They were at the train station, finally. Fuji hustled and gathered his stuff, and he walked quickly out of the train. He only had a couple bags, one being his camera bag, one being his backpack with his laptop, textbooks, and notebooks, and the third being his luggage, with all the clothes he would bring. Yumiko insisted on bringing another suitcase, but Fuji didn't want any more to carry. His hands were already full now.

He called a taxi to bring him to the college. The ride only took roughly thirty minutes, and Fuji tipped the man. "You must be a pretty good student to make it into this college," he said kindly.

Fuji smiled. "Thank you," he replied.

The guy gave him a thumbs-up. "Good luck." Fuji nodded and walked toward the front door. The college had rooms that they would be assigned, and the building for the rooms itself was significantly tall, reaching twenty-one floors. The buildings for the classes on the campus were pretty normal, though. Fuji was looking around everywhere, since he had never visited the college before.

He was staring at a beautiful statue while walking across the campus, when he accidentally bumped into someone. "I'm sorry," Fuji said politely.

"Don't mention it," the guy said. Fuji kept on walking with his head down, slightly embarrassed, but the guy stopped him before taking more than one step. "Fuji Syusuke from Hyotei?"

Fuji turned around and looked up at the guy, meeting a familiar face. "Shiraishi?! I haven't seen you in a while!" Fuji smiled kindly. "Who knew you were going into art?"

Shiraishi shrugged. "Who knew?" He smiled back at Fuji. "You were pretty predictable from the day I met you, back in junior high, though."

Fuji walked up to Shiraishi and gave him an unexpected hug. "I'm so glad I know someone at this school. I thought I would be SO lost! See, I was planning on visiting you, Kintaroh, Chitose, and Kenya later today, after I got my room number."

"You'll be sharing it with someone, though I'm sure you already knew that," Shiraishi said.

"That's not really a problem," Fuji replied.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Shiraishi took Fuji's suitcase from his hands and the two ran to the front desk. Fuji was handed a packet of paper, with a map, his courses, and his room number for both semesters. Fuji blinked when he saw the room number.

"Number 13 on the thirteenth floor? What's up with that?" Fuji said. Shiraishi laughed.

"Maybe you're just cursed."

Fuji frowned. "I don't really believe in superstitions." They walked back out onto the campus. Before long, a junior approached them. He looked at Fuji.

"You're the one who got the 13th room, right?" he asked. Fuji blinked.

"How did you know?"

The guy laughed. "We know _everything_." Then, he continued with a more serious tone. "That room in cursed, you know."

Fuji scowled at the guy. "You're a junior in college, nearly an adult, and you still believe in this stuff?"

"No, but you don't understand. The guy who roomed there last year got so scared that he requested another room."

Fuji approached the junior. "But do you know precisely what happened to him?"

The junior was taken aback, obviously not used to people approaching him like that. "Well…not really…"

"Exactly." Fuji pivoted on his heel (a habit he had acquired from being around Atobe too long) and stalked off. "Come on, Kuranosuke."

Shiraishi blinked and smiled apologetically at the guy. He followed Fuji obediently and ran to catch up with him. "Someone's got a little attitude problem? Last time I met you, you were always calm and collected."

Fuji didn't turn to look at his friend. "I normally am, but I don't like it when people act immature."

Shiraishi shrugged. "Whatever, Syusuke," he said, playing along with the first-name-game. "But at least we're on the same floor."

Fuji's face immediately brightened. "We are?"

Shiraishi nodded. "But I was hoping to room with you…" Fuji blushed. Shiraishi noticed this and laughed. "C'mon, Syusuke, if you're so embarrassed about that, I don't think you'll ever survive college."

Fuji pouted. "I'm not embarrassed; I'm just not _used_ to it."

"Oh, right, neither Hyotei nor Seigaku are boarding schools, are they?"

"Of course not."

Shiraishi smiled. "Well then, I guess your brother would be better off than you."

"Oh, shut up."

Fuji tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the elevator to reach the 13th floor. "Someone's a little eager, huh?" Shiraishi said.

Fuji turned toward his friend. "I've been waiting for this day for months! I almost can't believe it's finally here."

The elevator dinged to a stop and to doors opened. Fuji stepped out first and looked around. The walls were covered in wallpaper and sparingly decorated with some paintings, photographs, and other stuff, obviously made by students. Then under the work, there would be a small plaque, saying the artist's name, the title of the picture, and the date taken.

"Wow, it's really nice. Almost like we're in a hotel or something," Fuji commented.

"You should see the seniors' hallway," Shiraishi added.

"Another time," Fuji replied. "I'm just eager to see my own room right now."

"It should be the second to last room in the hallway. It's right across from my room, which is the 14th." So Fuji and Shiraishi walked down the hallway, stopping at the second to last door. "I'm going to my own room now, since I'm sure that you don't need help getting into yours," Shiriashi said.

"That's fine," Fuji answered. "I'll see you later, then." Fuji looked at the lavish sign on the door, confirming that it was the correct room. Fuji pushed his key into the slot gently, and opened the door slowly.

The room was nice, and it did look like a hotel, matching the hallways. The carpeting was a cream color, and the walls were the same, with a wooden molding along the bottom of the wall. To his left was a bathroom, in which the door was closed. Fuji didn't feel like opening it, wanting to set down his stuff first. He looked up. There were two beds, and the sheets were a tan color, almost like his hair, with pale green bamboo stalks on them. The second bed was just the same as the first one, but there was someone else sitting on it. Fuji's first instinct was to ask what he was doing here, but then remembered that they were going to be sharing a room.

But when Fuji looked at the said person's face, he saw someone all too familiar. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming. The boy smirked. "Fuji Syusuke, it's a pleasure to see you again."

* * *

Like the first chapter? Just letting you know, the Thirteenth room thing isn't the MAIN storyline. We're still getting to it. xD Patience is a virtue! Please review! 


	2. Chapter 2: Nagoya

**Osaka**

**Summary:** For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

How did everyone like the first chapter? It's the first time I've written Shiraishi before, so please don't hurt me! xD His personality is 'shrouded in mystery' anyway, or so Wikipedia claims. Again, I have this entire story written out, so no waiting for me to get over writers block! xD Anyway, read, review, and enjoy this chapter.

And as I might have said before, the chapter names have nothing to do with their content. I just made them that way so it would be easier to remember which chapter was which. And to match the title.

**Chapter 2:**

_Fuji blinked and rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming. The boy smirked. "Fuji Syusuke, it's a pleasure to see you again."_

"A-and same to you, Atobe," Fuji replied. He was shocked that not only one, but _two_ people from Tokyo had made it into this prestigious school this year. He was also surprised to see another familiar face in the sea of strangers. Fuji looked down at himself. He didn't look nearly presentable. Setting the suitcase up against the wall, Fuji used his free hand to smooth his hair.

Atobe laughed. "It's okay, Syusuke, it doesn't really matter to me."

Fuji stopped and looked at his former captain. "Since when did you know me so well?"

Atobe nearly laughed again. Fuji was _really_ cute. "I've known you since junior high, and we went to the same high school together. Don't you think I'm qualified?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just not used to it, I guess."

Atobe smiled. "Or maybe Syu-chan is cuter…"

Fuji frowned. "Don't give me weird nicknames like that." Atobe was being Fuji, and Fuji was acting like Ryoma. He didn't know why he did it; he hadn't even seen the kid in the past couple of months. But for some reason, instead of acting like himself, around Atobe, he would be more like Ryoma. It was just a thing that occurred around Hyotei's best player. Even around Oshitari, Fuji didn't feel as (for lack of better term) _intimidated_.

Atobe changed the subject. "So, _Syu-chan_, did you hear the rumors?"

Fuji sighed and gave up. It didn't really matter what Atobe called him in their room. "About what?"

"That the room is haunted, of course."

Fuji scowled again. "I don't believe in rumors."

Atobe smiled. He hadn't really expected Fuji to jump in his lap, shivering, but he didn't really expect this kind of reaction either. "Why not?" Atobe asked.

"Just because I _don't_," Fuji replied. Fuji could be stubborn as a mule sometimes, and, as Atobe mused, this was one of those times. But he wasn't about to drop the subject, oh no, because it was just _too_ much fun. Atobe smirked at Fuji, who was sitting on the bed opposite his.

"What if you stand up and trip over?"

Fuji nearly twitched. "I'm NOT going to fall over when I stand up!" he almost shouted. Atobe was amused. So very amused. He had never seen the light-haired boy be this excited before. "Watch." He stood up and remained standing. "See?"

Atobe shrugged. "Then try taking another step." Fuji frowned questionably at him. Nevertheless, he lifted his foot up. The moment it left the ground, though, he inevitably tripped with a surprised shout. He fell forward, obviously, and by instinct, Atobe reached out his arms and caught him by the waist. Fuji grabbed Atobe's shoulders to steady himself. Atobe never knew that the prodigy tennis player was so lightweight. He himself wasn't the heaviest college male in the world either, but Fuji felt like a feather.

Fuji blushed at their awkward position. He had never had another male hold him by the _waist_ before. He just stared at Atobe for a while, who stared back. Then, he gently propped the smaller boy up and set him on the bed. "I guess you are cursed."

Fuji glared at Atobe. "I am not."

"Then let me try," Atobe said. He was about to stand up, when a thin hand grabbed his wrist unexpectedly. Atobe blinked.

"Who will be there to catch you?" Fuji said quietly, almost inaudibly.

"What?" Atobe asked.

"Who will be there to catch you?" Fuji said again, louder this time, but still extremely quietly.

Atobe sat back down and smiled at Fuji. He was looking down, almost embarrassed. When Atobe normally saw Fuji, he saw a calm, collected, polite, sadistic, and slightly arrogant guy. The words embarrassed or shy never even crossed his brain. Never. Rooming with him, even though it had only been a little while, seemed to bring out a different side of Fuji. Or so Atobe thought.

Fuji hastily got up. "I'm going to check on my friend," he said. "He's in the room across from…ours." It felt kind of strange for Fuji to say 'ours', since he wasn't used to it.

"Is it someone I know?" Atobe asked.

Fuji answered, "Maybe," and walked out of the room before Atobe could say anything more.

When Fuji was finally out of the room, he breathed a relieved sigh. It wasn't that being around Atobe made him frustrated, it was just that for some reason, Fuji always needed to think about everything he was going to say before saying it. With everyone else, though, Fuji always seemed to speak his mind _when he wanted to_. Fuji guessed that he felt nervous around the gray-haired boy.

Fuji walked slowly across the hall and knocked quietly on the door. Shiraishi answered the door not too long afterwards. "Can I come in?" Fuji asked politely. Shiraishi nodded and Fuji walked into the room. It looked exactly like his own, only that Shiraishi's stuff was already scattered across the table.

"So, does it look like your room?" Shiraishi said as if reading Fuji's mind. "Nothing out of place? Is your room really haunted?"

At first, Fuji didn't understand what his friend was getting at, but at the last inquiry, Fuji rolled his eyes. "Come on now, you're not really going to believe that, right?"

Shiraishi shrugged. "Just curious. So, who's your roommate?"

Fuji sighed. He knew this was coming sooner or later. "Atobe."

Shiraishi looked shocked. "Atobe Keigo?!" he virtually shouted.

Fuji smiled. "No, _another_ Atobe," he said sarcastically.

Shiraishi seemed to sigh. "You're lucky, at least you got someone you already know."

"A little too well, I think," Fuji muttered under his breath.

"What?" Shiraishi said.

"Nothing." Fuji waved his hand a little, another habit he had picked up from his former captain.

"Where'd you pick up that habit?" Shiraishi asked. Fuji was getting a little freaked out by how Shiraishi would always inquire about something that he just thought about.

"Atobe-buchou. He does it all the time."

"I should've known," Shiraishi said. "I can _so_ imagine it."

Fuji laughed. He looked around. "Where's your roommate?"

Shiraishi shrugged. "I don't know." Then he changed the subject yet again. "So, did anything happen?"

Fuji looked Shiraishi in the eye. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, did he do anything to you?"

Now Fuji just looked completely traumatized. "Of course not!" he shouted.

Shiraishi looked at him for a moment and then broke into a fit of laughter. "You looked so cute when you were shocked like that! I just wanted to see your reaction."

Fuji frowned. "Why am I suddenly 'cute' to everyone I have previously known?"

Shiraishi stopped laughing. "Huh?"

"See, ever since this past year, _everyone_ thinks I'm 'cute'. Atobe called me cute when we were in our room. You think I'm cute. Even _Oshitari_ thinks I'm cute! Who's next, Ryoma?! Kintaroh?!" Fuji was nearly yelling by the end of the phrase.

"It's because you _are_ cute."

Fuji crossed his arms. "You're just saying that."

"No, I mean it," Shiraishi said sincerely. "You're the cutest person I've ever met!"

Now, Fuji looked at him in awe. "Do you really think so?" Shiraishi nodded.

"See? You looked _so adorable_ then, too!"

Fuji looked away again, blushing. "But why wasn't I ever 'cute' before?"

Shiraishi thought for a moment. "Probably because you didn't look so tiny before."

Fuji was stunned at the answer. He looked down at himself, then at Shiraishi. Though Fuji didn't want to admit it, the other former captain was right; Fuji was at least a head shorter than him. Shiraishi continued. "I could probably lift you us easily." And proceeded to do so.

"Wah!" Fuji shouted. He wasn't really expecting Shiraishi to just pick him up by the waist (again) like that. His first impulse was to blush, and he promptly did. Then he waved his arms around and kicked his legs. "Let me go!" he nearly screeched. He attempted prying the other boy's hands from his body, but Shiraishi was obviously stronger than Fuji. Again, Fuji reminded himself of Ryoma. Not that Fuji had ever picked up the younger boy; it's just what he imagined Ryoma would do if he ever had.

Shiraishi set him down on the bed again suddenly. Fuji was panting and his face was flustered. He glared at the taller boy. "You really didn't have to do that you know." Shiraishi looked long and hard at the brunette. Fuji looked back oddly. "What?"

"You look _really_ cute again, you know." Fuji fell back onto the bed which was the real life version of sweat-dropping.

"Why am I always cute? Why never anything else, like—" And he stopped right there.

"Like what?" Shiraishi said. But Fuji's mouth remained firmly shut. Shiraishi turned so that he was pretty much on top of Fuji. One hand was on either side of Fuji's head, which was as red as a strawberry. He leaned his head closer, so he could hear Fuji's heart pounding in his chest. "Like handsome, hot, or sexy?"

Fuji blushed even more, if that was possible. Shiraishi brushed a strand of hair from Fuji's face. "You _are_ all those things." Shiraishi smiled compassionately at him. "I just happen to think 'cute' fits you so much better." He was about to get up, but Fuji suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"Shiraishi, you're my best friend here, you know." Shiraishi blinked. He didn't understand what Fuji was trying to say. "So don't betray me, alright?"

Shiraishi sat up. "Fuji, did someone hurt you?" But Fuji wouldn't speak. Instead, he just curled up against his friend. Soon, his breathing became deeper. Shiraishi set the sleeping boy onto the bed.

Atobe's voice could be heard throughout the room. "Syusuke, are you in here? Because you've been here for a while. You're friend left his door open, and—" Shiraishi with his finger to hip lips, sitting on the bed. He indicated toward the sleeping tensai. Atobe was quite. He walked over to Fuji, picked him up gently, and walked back to their shared room.

* * *

This chapter is kind of random. I figured that out after reading it again. xD;; 

Well, please review anyway.


	3. Chapter 3: Hiroshima

**Osaka**

**Summary:** For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine

How did everyone like the last chapter? This one is pretty long (by my standards), so have fun reading it! Read, review, and enjoy!

**Chapter 3:**

_Atobe walked over to Fuji, picked him up gently, and walked back to their shared room._

Fuji stirred as he woke up from his midday nap. At first, Fuji wondered where he was, because he knew he wasn't in his own room. Nor was he in his own bed. He felt a figure next to him. It was so warm, and so comforting. Unconsciously, he wrapped his arm around the figure and pulled him closer. The figure moved slightly. Fuji opened his eyes faintly, and saw gray hair. It was Atobe, in his bed.

Fuji sat up instantly. What was Atobe doing in his bed?! He looked down and checked himself. Good, all his clothes were still on his body. "Do you seriously think of me like that?" Atobe asked. Fuji jumped a little, not knowing that the said person was awake.

Fuji looked around, embarrassed. "I—uh—"

Atobe yawned. "I've been awake since you woke up." He sat up and smiled a little. "You were hugging me like a teddy bear all afternoon."

Fuji blushed. He was sitting up against the wall that the bed was adjacent to. "I—I was?"

Atobe smiled more. "Yes, you were. It was so cute."

Fuji got up and scooted over and off of the bed. He walked over to the window and threw open the blinds. It was a bright afternoon. The sun was shining, like usual, and the wind was blowing steadily. "When I wasn't here yet, what were you doing?" Fuji asked without turning away.

Atobe looked at him. "I was waiting here for you, of course. It's boring with only one person."

Fuji looked back. "You knew that I was going to be your roommate?"

"Everyone knows."

Fuji turned his entire body toward Atobe. Suddenly, his voice was cold, contrasting greatly with the weather outside. "Well, you seem to be fitting in well."

Atobe looked confused, or maybe shocked. "What are you talking about? We haven't even started our classes yet."

"Well, everyone seems to know everything about college!" Fuji shouted. "I've never attended a boarding school, roomed with people, or anything like this!"

Since Atobe was the kind of person he was, he shouted right back. "Neither have I! It's not what you've experienced before; it's your ability to adapt!"

"Are you saying that I can't adapt to things?!" Fuji cried. He narrowed his eyes.

Atobe was silent. Time seemed to stop for a while, since neither of them spoke, and there was no motion or sound. "What's with you all of a sudden?" he finally said quietly. "Ever since I met you, you've never minded being different from everyone else. I mean, think about your taste in food."

Fuji sat down on the windowsill and sighed. "I don't know, Atobe, I don't know what's with me all of a sudden. I just feel different than usual," Fuji said. He hung his head. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

Atobe looked at Fuji with a concerned face. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Fuji was quiet for a moment. "I guess I'm homesick or something. I just wish someone who loves me would call or something." Atobe frowned. Fuji suddenly looked up at him, with his usual cheery smile on again. He looked at his watch. "My, my, we slept a while. Want to go somewhere for dinner?"

Atobe blinked. It seemed like a completely different person was talking to him now. But since he was hungry, too, he agreed.

Fuji stood up, stretched his arms, and yawned. He walked over to the closet to get his jacket, but as he passed by the bed, his cell phone slipped out of his pocket. Fuji didn't notice, since there was no sound, and he wasn't really paying attention to that. Before he could look back into the room, Atobe had already locked the door.

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As the pair walked outside into the sun, Fuji's smile became more and more natural. A day like that put a smile on almost everyone's face, and Fuji and Atobe were no exception. Everything was perfect that day; it wasn't too hot or cold. But when they left the college campus, the area around them was about as familiar to Fuji as Africa. Of course, he had learned a little bit about the Kansai region and Osaka in his advance placement Japanese history class, but he had never really been there.

Atobe, on the other hand, had been pretty much everywhere in Japan, including Osaka. It was part of the reason he had applied to this college; Osaka had been the city that he had visited the most often because he had a couple relatives living here. They weren't living close to the college, though.

As if reading his mind, Fuji asked Atobe, "Have you been here before?" Atobe nodded. Fuji sighed. "That's good, since this place feels like Hokkaido to me, except it's not snowing all the time."

Atobe laughed. "Do you think it's always snowing in Hokkaido?"

"Why, have you been there, too?" Fuji asked. Atobe nodded again and Fuji rolled his eyes.

"It's really beautiful there, and since you're a photographer, I think you'd really like it."

"Too bad I'll probably never go there."

Atobe seemed to think for a moment. "I could take you there during one of our breaks, if you want."

Fuji's eyes widened. "Really?"

Atobe nodded. "Mhm." Fuji jumped up and hugged Atobe, catching him off guard. He had picked up that habit from Jiroh. Fuji had certainly picked up a lot of things from attending Hyotei for the past three years.

"Thank you very much!" he said loudly, not minding that there were people staring at him. Atobe did seem to mind, though; Fuji noticed it by the way Atobe turned his head slightly. Fuji thought it was so cute, and it reminded him of another person—Fuji nearly shook his head not wanting to remember part of the _real_ reason he had transferred to Hyotei. His smile wavered for a moment, before appearing back on his face. "You _do_ know where you're going, right?"

The question made Atobe's head turn right back to face Fuji. "Of course I do," he playfully snapped. Stopping, he said, "See? We're already here."

Fuji looked at the building in front of him. It was a small café, located in a quiet little corner of the town. Inside, it was elegant, but not too fancy, almost on the verge of being casual. It wasn't really the kind of place that Fuji had imagined that Atobe would bring him too, but it wasn't worse or anything. Just different.

Stating his thoughts, Fuji said, "Wow, I wasn't really expecting something like this."

"My relatives used to take me here all the time when I visited them," Atobe explained.

"Oh, you have relatives living here? No wonder," Fuji said.

Atobe frowned. "Even if I didn't have relatives here, I'd probably visit here pretty often anyway. Osaka is a big city, considering some of the other places I've been, especially in Hokkaido," Atobe replied. He added, "And I don't have relatives living there."

Fuji smiled. "That's perfect then, since I was going to go visit some of my Shitenhouji friends tomorrow with Shiraishi, and I was wondering what you would do. But now I know that you have relatives here, you can go visit them," Fuji said. Seeing Atobe wince, he said, "Or somewhere else, if things don't fly well between you and your family."

But that wasn't the reason he had winced. Atobe got along perfectly fine with his family, and he loved his relatives in Osaka a lot. But he hadn't expected Fuji to be doing anything in Osaka, since he had never been here before. But Shiraishi obviously had, and they would be perfectly fine together. Atobe frowned at the word 'perfect'. Did they make a perfect pair?

Fuji interrupted his thoughts. "So, are we going to go inside?" He looked around and pulled him jacket around himself. "Because the wind is starting to get stronger."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Atobe said quickly. He held the door open for Fuji, who swiftly shuffled inside.

Fuji dusted himself off and smiled at Atobe. "You can't blame yourself for the weather." He was just about to take a step when the door opened again suddenly. With their quick reflexes from playing tennis for their entire lives, Fuji and Atobe jumped out of the way just as it swung open. The person entering was a boy, probably in high school, panting heavily like he had just been running for his life.

"I'm so sorry!" he said. "One of my friends was chasing me because—" It was then that he looked up and stopped. "Fuji Syusuke and Atobe Keigo!" he said. And then Fuji recognized his messy mop of red hair and tennis racquet.

"Kintarou!" Fuji said happily. "I haven't seen you in a while!"

"What are you doing here, Fuji?" Kintarou asked.

"I go to college here in Osaka," Fuji replied, smiling.

Kintarou's eyes widened like they used to back in middle school. "Uwaaaah, already?" He looked at Atobe. "Did he make it into the same school? Or is he just accompanying you?"

"Both," Fuji said.

"Wow! You both are amazing!" he shouted. "Have you seen Koshimae lately?"

Fuji chuckled at the nickname Kintarou still gave Ryoma. The name generated because of the fact that the kanji for 'Echizen' could also be read as 'Koshimae'. "Nope, not since last spring." Fuji walked with Kintarou behind Atobe and decided to just share whatever Atobe ordered. They continued to chat for a while at their table also, since they hadn't seen each other in a while either. "How is Chitose doing?"

Kintarou's face brightened. "He's great! He's working hard at his Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami (Pinnacle of Great Wisdom, one of the doors to Muga no Kyouchi, or the State of Self Actualization), and he's doing really well!" He then smirked. "He might even be able to beat Tezuka now."

Fuji laughed. "I still can't beat Tezuka. But—" Fuji looked at Atobe. "He beat Ryoma in the National Tournament."

"WHOA! Atobe must be super amazing!"

Fuji nodded. "Yeah, he was the captain of Hyotei and nationally ranked."

"Sweet! Have you played Shiraishi lately?" Kintarou asked.

"Not since the past National tournament…" Fuji said.

"But you were awesome then! You totally beat him!"

"It was a close game," Fuji said. "I want to play him again. But, speaking of Kuranosuke, I was planning on taking him to visit you guys tomorrow. Is that okay?"

"You mean he was planning on taking you?" Atobe said. "You've never been here anyway."

Kintarou laughed and Fuji shrugged. "Yeah, that's fine; we're not doing anything tomorrow anyway. What about Atobe?"

"He'll be fine; he visits here a lot."

"Okay! Then it's settled! I'm SO looking forward to tomorrow!" Kintarou said.

Fuji chuckled. "Don't tell Chitose and Kenya. I want it to be a surprise."

"You have my word!" The three of them split the bill and walked out of the door. Fuji waved goodbye to Kintarou as he ran out of sight.

Fuji sighed. "He's such a cute kid. He kind of reminds me of an overly-hyper Ryoma."

"That's pretty much what he is, right?" Atobe said. Fuji laughed and they walked back to the campus in peaceful silence.

"Oh, what's this?" Fuji said rhetorically. Even before he had got inside the room, he had heard his cell phone beeping, not knowing that he had left it in the hotel room. They unlocked the door and Fuji ran to the bed. There his cell phone sat, not out of battery, but with a lot of messages. Fuji opened it. It read _You have 28 missed calls and 9 new messages_. Fuji's eyes widened. How could he have gotten so many messages in such a short time period?

The first message was from Jiroh. "Hi, Fuji! I just called to see how you were doing in college! Have your classes started yet? I bet you'll do great in all of them! Love you! Ja!" Fuji smiled. It was short, sweet, and too the point. Just like Jiroh.

The next one was from Oshitari. "Hey, Fuji. Just wanted to call. How is Osaka? Have you visited any of the Shitenhouji players? Love you. Well, see you later." Fuji continued to smile. He could tell that by 'Shitenhouji players', Oshitari meant Kenya.

The message after that was from Kikumaru. "NYA! Fujiko-chan!!! I haven't seen you in forever! How are you doing? What college are you going to again? Sorry, I kind of forgot, nya! Please call back so that we can plan a reunion together for Seigaku! Love ya! Bye, nya!"

"Hey, Fuji-sempai. This is Ryoma speaking. Just wanted to see how you were doing in college. Have you seen that kid that always calls me Koshimae? Heard he lives in the same city as your college is in. More importantly, are you still playing tennis? Well, see you. Love you. Mada mada dane."

"Hey, Aniki, I have no idea why I'm calling. I just wanted to wish you good luck. Love you. Yumiko's here to talk to you."

"Neh, Syusuke, how are you? Have your classes started yet? And is there anyone that you know going there? I just made Yuuta call you first, because I wanted to. We miss you very much, and we wish you will write to us, call, or send emails or something! Love you and hope to hear from you! See you!"

"Hey, Fuji, this is Saeki. Just wondering how you're doing in college. As for me, my classes just started today. My professors are very nice, and so is my roommate. Who is your roommate? Is he anyone you know? Haha, just kidding. What are the chances of that happening, anyway? Please call back. Love you. Hope to hear from you soon!"

"Hello, Fuji Syusuke. This is Yukimura speaking. Just calling to talk to you, but I guess you're busy or something. I haven't seen you in a while, how have you been? I was wondering what college you go to. It's probably some place very prestigious. If so, congratulations. Hope you will call back. Love you. Bye."

"Hey, Syusuke, this is Kuranosuke. Where are you? I just called Kintarou a couple of minutes ago to ask if we can come to visit him and the others tomorrow, and he said he already heard from you. Apparently you two ran into each other. That's so coincidental, neh? Anyway, I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Love you! Ja!"

The rest were calls from people who didn't leave messages. The people who called ranged from Kajimoto Takahisa to that purple freak to the Kisarazu twins. There were calls from Gakuto, Ootori, Shishido, Taki, Hiyoshi, Inui, Bunta, Kirihara, the Tanaka twins, Chitose, Kenya, Tachibana, Rin, and Kai. Some of the people who called Fuji had known, but he hadn't remembered giving them his cell phone number. Fuji shrugged, but then noticed one last message on his phone. The message was from—Fuji gasped. His phone read 'Kuni-chan'. He winced at the affectionate nickname he used to give his ex-boyfriend. He didn't want to change it, but he felt like every time he saw that name, a little piece chipped off from his heart.

He slowly pushed the button to listen to the message. "Hello, this is Tezuka Kunimitsu speaking. Syusuke, I—"

The message was cute off by Atobe's voice coming from the bathroom. Apparently, he had just taken a shower. "Fuji, what are you doing?"

Fuji hastily snapped his phone shut. "Just checking my messages."

Atobe looked skeptical. "The entire time?"

Fuji nodded. It was the truth. "I had a lot of messages." He tucked the phone into the bag that was leaning against his bed. "I'm going to take a nap." Fuji climbed onto his bed and almost instantly fell asleep.

Atobe walked over to the computer. He typed randomly on the keyboard for a while, until he was sure that his roommate was asleep. He walked quietly and gracefully over to the bag and took out the cell phone. He then went into the hallway and listened to the messages. The beginning ones were understandable, but it was strange that they had all called at one time, none yesterday or even this morning. But the last message was from 'Kuni-chan'. Atobe was slightly amused, but slightly disgusted at the name.

"Hello, this is Tezuka Kunimitsu speaking. Syusuke, I was calling to ask how you were doing. I've been fine, and I'm currently attending Tokyo Medical and Dental University, which is close to home. I heard that you were attending Osaka University of Arts. How is it there? And more importantly, how are you? I hope to get a call back from you. I love you. Ja."

Atobe clutched the phone tightly. The message sounded almost the same as the other ones, but something bothered him about the message. Atobe couldn't put his finger on it. He moved his thumb over to the delete button, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he just snapped the phone shut. Atobe walked back into the room and dropped the phone in Fuji's bag again before he woke up.

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Fuji gets calls from a lot of peoples! xD;; So if you like this chapter (or if you just think it was okay), review review review!!! xD 


	4. Chapter 4: Fukuoka

**Osaka**

**Summary:** For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine

I hope you guys like the story so far! I'm updating as fast as I can, but not updating so fast so people can't keep up with the story! And the people who are waiting for my updates, thank you for your patience! Here's the next chapter. Please read, review, and enjoy!

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**Chapter 4:**

_Atobe walked back into the room and dropped the phone in Fuji's bag again before he woke up._

"Fuji; Fuji, wake up," Atobe said. Fuji turned toward the voice. He opened his eyes slightly. He was glad that Atobe had pulled the curtains so Fuji wouldn't have to witness the blinding light of the sun.

"What time is it?" he said weakly.

Atobe looked at the clock on the nightstand. "8:12. In the evening."

Fuji sat up instantly. "I slept for THAT long?!" Atobe nodded.

"It was thunder storming earlier so I pulled the blinds shut."

Fuji blinked. "Thunder storming? But it was perfectly sunny when we went to get dinner. Not a cloud in sight. That's so strange." Atobe agreed. "What did you do while I was sleeping?"

"Checked my email, stuff like that. Shot a couple photos of the skyline."

"In the rain?"

"Yep."

"Wow, those must look good. I have to see them later." Fuji thought for a moment. "Tomorrow I have to take some good pictures of the sunset skyline. I know its cliché, but every photographer has to get one of those pictures in his or her lifetime. It's just one of those things, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. You know more about photography than me, anyway. I'm going into graphic design as a second job to my inheritance to my father's company."

"Graphic design? That's really cool." Fuji smiled. "I'm not really good with computers."

Atobe laughed. "Same with me and cameras. I used yours, actually, and I'll probably have to seriously Photoshop it to make it look half as good as your pictures."

Fuji chuckled. "Don't flatter me too much."

"Why not?" Atobe said.

"Because I'm not that good."

Atobe sat up. "Are you kidding me? You're amazing. I bet you're going to become so famous when you graduate."

"You're already famous," Fuji pointed out. Atobe shrugged. He didn't really know what to say to that. After all, like in tennis, Fuji could be hiding his true potential.

"Just promise me one thing," Atobe said. Fuji cocked his head to a side indicating curiosity. "Always follow your heart and your mind. Because if one of them is the right answer, then they both should be saying the same thing. That's why we use the same word for them in Japanese."

Fuji smiled. "I promise."

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Fuji blinked his eyes open. The blinds were still pulled, and Fuji couldn't tell what time it was. Then he remembered that there was a clock on the nightstand. Fuji turned his head toward the clock. It read 5:23 am. Perfect timing. Fuji and Shiraishi were planning to meet each other outside their rooms at 6:00 and walk to Kintarou's house instead of taking a bus or taxi, as long as it wasn't raining.

Fuji got out of his bed and peeked out of the window. The rain had just recently stopped, and the trees were still dripping with trickles of water. The sky was the color of early morning. It was pretty much gray with a slight blue-ish tint, the color of the Hyotei jerseys. Fuji smiled at the thought. He walked into the bathroom and rinsed his face before getting dressed in a light blue shirt and a tan jacket. He brushed his hair and wrote a quick note for Atobe. He didn't want to wake him up, anyway.

Fuji picked up his bag, walked out the door, and nearly ran into a waiting Shiraishi. Well, he actually did run into him; his arm, at least. Catching Fuji before he fell on his face, Shiraishi spun him around so that he was facing the taller boy. "You're late," Shiraishi said. Fuji looked at his watch. 6:01.

"Wow, your tennis reflects on your lifestyle, too," Fuji replied.

"What, perfect?" Shiraishi said. He releases Fuji. "I know. It's quite boring, until you show up and mix it up a little."

"Only I can do that?"

"Yeah, one does get tired of Kintarou once in a while."

Fuji blinked. "You might get tired of me sometime, too, if you spend too much time with me."

He shrugged. "Doubt it." Shiraishi looked at Fuji's bag. "What's in there?"

Fuji pulled out a plastic bag. "Apples."

Shiraishi laughed. "As expected. You're so predictable, Syusuke."

Fuji rolled his eyes. "Maybe I am. Or maybe I'm not." He took Shiraishi's hand and held it firmly. "Let's go."

Shiraishi hadn't expected that one. "Maybe you're not," he said quietly, and ran ahead of Fuji, pulling him along.

"Wah!" Fuji cried. "God, you're strong!" Neither of them wanted to be left behind, so they both ran through the city in the early morning, when almost no other people were awake. They skidded and nearly fell at the corners because they were still slippery from last night's rain, yet they were genuinely enjoying themselves.

Chitose yawned as the doorbell rang to the little apartment that he shared with two of his friends. Who could be here this early? Despite the fact that he was still wearing his pajamas, he got up to get the door. Whoever was there shouldn't be expecting much from him anyway. It was 7:00 in the morning!

Chitose opened to door to find two people there, smiling happily. At first, they looked like husband and wife, but then Chitose noticed that they were both boys. Chitose blinked. "Shiraishi?" he said sleepily. "Fuji?"

As soon as Fuji heard his own name, he jumped on Chitose, embracing him tightly. "It's so nice to see you again!"

Chitose smiled and patted Fuji on the back, while Shiraishi stayed in the doorway. "Nice pajamas," he said.

"What more do you expect from me? It's 7:00 in the morning," Chitose said. "I haven't even put in my contact lenses yet." When Fuji backed off, Chitose admitted that when he first saw them, he thought that Fuji was Shiraishi's wife.

Fuji's eyes snapped open. He looked at Shiraishi, who looked back down at him. They both laughed, and Fuji hoped no one noticed the slight red tinge that spread across his teeth. No one had, except for one person who had just emerged from the bedroom.

"Yo, Fuji, Shiraishi," Kintarou said. Chitose jumped a bit. Fuji thought it was funny to see one of the strongest players in the region like this.

"Didn't notice you there, Kintarou. Did you know they were coming?" Chitose asked.

Kintarou nodded. "Ever since yesterday. Fuji wanted to keep it a secret, so I didn't tell you. I ran into them at a café yesterday."

Chitose blinked. "Them? Shiraishi and Fuji?"

Kintarou shook his head. "Fuji was with Atobe."

Shiraishi blinked and looked down at Fuji, with a look that asked, _Is it true?_

Fuji looked back up at Shiraishi. _Yeah_. It was amazing how they could just see right through each other like that. Fuji hadn't even developed that with Tezuka, before leaving for Hyotei. Smiling at Kintarou, Fuji asked, "Where's Oshitari-san?"

"Some obligation. I don't know what though." Fuji blinked. Since when did Kintarou start using such…big words? It was then that he realized that it was Chitose that had answered him. Chitose looked at Kintarou. "Do you know?"

Kintarou shrugged. "Don't remember." Now that was more like it, Fuji thought.

Changing the subject, Chitose said, "I've been meaning to ask how everyone is?"

"At Hyotei or Seigaku?" Fuji said.

"Both," was Chitose's curt reply.

Fuji tapped his chin lightly. They were now sitting on the couch, and Kintarou had departed to make some tea. Who knew someone like that knew how to make tea? "I don't know much recently about Seigaku, but I do know that Ku—" Fuji was interrupted by his own cough.

Shiraishi looked down at Fuji, concerned. "Are you alright?"

Fuji smiled again. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just breathed in the wrong air or something. As I was saying," Fuji continued, "Tezuka is attending Tokyo Medical and Dental University."

Chitose raised an eyebrow. "I was sure he was going into professional tennis. He could be a star."

"It's Ryoma that's going into an athletic career."

Kintarou peeked his head out from the kitchen. "Koshimae? I haven't heard from him in ages."

Fuji smiled. "Yeah, he inquired about you, too, in his message."

"Oh, you received a message from him?" Chitose said. "Then you probably got my call, too." Fuji nodded. "Sorry about not leaving a message. I was in a rush, but I just felt compelled to call you at that moment. It was the strangest feeling."

Fuji crossed his arms. "That's odd." He did note that all the other calls were pretty random, too. "But anyway, did you see how Ryoma played in last year's Wimbledon? Saa, he can probably beat me now."

Shiraishi laughed. "I'd like to see him try. Even I can't beat you!"

Fuji smirked the I'm-Ryoma-and-I've-got-an-attitude smirk. "Maybe your skills have just declined, then."

They continued just casually chatting like that for a while, until there was nothing left to cover. All the gaps, questions, and inquiries had been filled and answered. And now they knew everything, or almost, about each other. The end of their talk resulted in a peaceful, comfortable silence, ending when Kintarou suggested that they go shopping.

"Shopping?" Fuji said. Kintarou nodded. "Saa, I haven't gone shopping in a while. Last time I went was with Yumiko to buy some new clothes for college a couple months ago." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I honestly didn't pack that much, though."

Chitose looked at him. "Really? You seem like the type that would pack truckloads of clothes."

"I just think it's too much hassle to carry too many suitcases," Fuji replied.

Chitose laughed. "I think you've been hanging around Tezuka too much." Fuji visibly flinched at the name, though it was very slight. But being in a room with all geniuses who played tennis, of course he was caught by all three of them. "Not on good terms?"

"Depends. Would you call not directly talking to him in three years good terms?" Fuji said meekly. They dropped the subject at that, before departing out the door.

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Did you like this chapter? Chitose appears for the first time! That in itself makes this chapter lovable! Please review! 


	5. Chapter 5: Sapporo

**Osaka**

**Summary:** For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

Hua! xD;; Happy that I updated? Every three days, as promised. Wait, I didn't promise, did I? Well, I update every three days anyway. I'm so glad you guys are all enjoying the story! Shitenhouji needs more love, and I'm glad that all of you have caught up to the latest chapters in the manga. We're all Tenipuri addicts. xD;; Anyway, read, review and enjoy!

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**Chapter 5:**

"_Depends. Would you call not directly talking toTezuka in three years good terms?" Fuji said meekly. They dropped the subject at that, before departing out the door._

The sun shone brightly and reflected off ever cleanly polished window of the stores. The sunlight lit up everything from the east side, casting contrasting shadows on everything. It was misty, too, which was an effect of the rain. There were still puddles on the sidewalks and roads, and Kintarou seemed to make it his goal to jump in every one. Normally, Kenya would scold him, but since Kenya wasn't here, and there were literally no other people on the streets at this hour, the other boys didn't say anything.

In fact, to Fuji, it seemed to set the mood of the day, which was a happy, cheerful, joyful mood. It was great, Fuji thought, and everything was perfect that day. But he couldn't help wondering what Atobe was doing at that moment. He was probably sitting in the school cafeteria, sipping his coffee, glancing at the newspaper every now and then, or maybe sketching something up.

"Thinking about something, Syusuke?" Fuji looked up to find Shiraishi's face centimeters from his.

"Erm…"Fuji said and blushed. "Not…really…"

"Well, you're obviously not paying attention, since the others turned a corner a couple blocks ago—"

"WHAT?!" Fuji shouted.

Shiraishi snickered. "Just kidding. It was only one block ago."

Fuji looked up at him questioningly. "…And you followed me?" Shiraishi shrugged. "Why?"

"I just wanted to see how far you would go. But I interrupted your thoughts because I was worried that we might get lost." Shiraishi took Fuji's hand. "We'd better get going, or we might really get lost."

Fuji's eyes opened. Shiraishi was bold. So very blatantly bold. He smiled. That was the way he liked it. He followed his friend back to the others. But he really didn't have a choice, Fuji thought, as he looked at the other's grip on his hand.

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Kintarou tapped his foot impatiently. Shiraishi had insisted on following the tensai, for some unknown reason, instead of breaking him out of his trance. They should be getting here soon, and Kintarou couldn't figure out what was taking them so long. He smirked as he thought of the possibilities.

"Are _you_ thinking about something?" Chitose asked.

Kintarou blinked. "Just thinking about…_why_ Shiraishi and Fuji were taking so long to get back…"

It took Chitose a moment to register what the smaller one had just hinted. He smiled as he realized. Walking over to the corner, Chitose decided to do a little spying. "Hey!" Kintarou said, but Chitose motioned for him to be quiet. Kintarou shut his mouth as he followed his sempai.

Just as Chitose turned the corner, though, Kintarou heard a loud thump. Chitose stumbled backward to reveal Fuji, clutching his forehead. "Ow ow ow ow ow!" Chitose hissed, and he was also clutching his forehead. They were almost the same height of course, with Chitose a tiny bit taller.

Chitose, being the offender, or so he thought, stood up first. He offered a hand to Fuji, who he gladly took. He smiled at the reason he had been turning the corner to begin with, and decided to annoy his friend a little bit.

As soon as Fuji stood up fully, Chitose made a move. Stepping forward, he brushed aside Fuji's bangs. "Are you alright?" he asked. Fuji looked at his friend.

"I—I think so," Fuji replied. Chitose leaned in closer, pretending to inspect Fuji's head. He ran his finger along the brunette's forehead. "Sen…ri…?"

Inadvertently, Shiraishi's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Chitose leaned even closer, so that his lips brushed against Fuji's forehead. He suddenly pulled away again. "You're fine. I'm sorry for bumping into you."

Fuji blinked. He was aware that his entire face was red. His friends were all looking at him. Chitose with a smirk, Kintarou smiling, and Shiraishi looked at him in…was it irritation?

Fuji shook his head and brought his bangs back to their normal place. Now _that_ was unexpected. Chitose and Kintarou started walking again as if nothing had happened, and Shiraishi took Fuji's hand again possessively, with a tighter grip than before, and they followed the other two.

Chitose stopped abruptly. "Oh, what's this?" he said. Fuji looked at where he was gazing, which was at the window of a store. But not merely at the window, oh no, he was looking at a poster on the windowpane. Chitose, Fuji thought, wouldn't normally be one to just look at random posters, so Fuji looked closely. The poster read about a competition, not just any competition, it was a photography competition for the current residents or students currently residing in Osaka. The theme of the contest was 'shadows'. "You should enter, Syusuke. From what I heard, you're really good at photography. And you can enter with Shiraishi, who is minoring in photography."

Fuji looked at Shiraishi. "Are you really?" he asked.

Shiraishi nodded. "Yep, and I'm majoring in Graphic Design."

"You mean on the computer?" Fuji asked.

"Yeah," Shiraishi replied.

Fuji smiled. "Atobe is also majoring in that!"

Shiraishi first inwardly smirked at the fact that Fuji called him 'Atobe' instead of 'Keigo'. Only Shiraishi, Ryoma, Saeki, Chitose, Kintarou and Tezuka had earned that honor. Nevertheless, Shiraishi's only reply was, "Oh."

Chitose continued. "With Syusuke's photography skills and Kura-chan's graphic design skills, those two will win for sure!"

Fuji's face lit up. "Kura-chan? I LOVE it!"

Shiraishi twitched. He didn't even know why he let Chitose call him that.

"Anyway, let's go!" Kintarou said impatiently. "I'm tired of all this standing around!"

The three older ones laughed and continued on their walk, with the competition in mind.

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A couple hours later, Fuji and Kintarou were hopping stores. They were so fast; it looked like they were playing tennis. Chitose and Shiraishi, on the other hand, were peacefully resting at the food court. It was almost time for lunch, and they promised that they would call each other when one was hungry. But seeing them, Chitose thought, Fuji and Kintarou wouldn't be hungry for a while.

So Chitose bought himself and Shiraishi a soda, because they were bored and tired. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, that was only between the two of them, since the mall was bustling with shoppers from all around.

Chitose was the first to break the silence. "You like him, don't you?" he said.

Shiraishi looked up. "What are you talking about?"

Chitose rolled his eyes. "You know perfectly well. Syusuke. You like him."

Shiraishi blinked. "I—I do?"

It took all the dark haired one had to resist slapping his own forehead. And he didn't have that much. So he ended up slapping himself anyway. "YOU IDIOT!" he shouted. Realizing that nearly the entire mall was staring at him, he sat down and cleared his throat. Shooting a dazzling smile, making the girls all scream, everyone went back to what they were doing.

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Fuji stopped at the sound of the loud shout heard throughout the mall. "That…that wasn't Senri, now, was it?" he said, pointing the direction of the shout.

It was then that he heard a bunch of fangirl squeals. "Definitely him," Kintarou agreed. They took their bags and started to rush over to the direction of the food court.

Fuji stopped his younger friend as a new idea dawned on him. Walking into a pink looking store (maybe too pink for its own good), Fuji said, "Just a moment, Kintarou. I have something I have to do," slyly.

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Back at the food court, Chitose was still annoyed. "You're so oblivious! It's so obvious that you like him!"

With every mention of it, Shiraishi covered his face. "Can you stop being so loud?" he hissed.

"Yes! If you admit it!" Chitose all but screamed.

"Alright, alright, I admit it. But it's not that big of a deal," Shiraishi said. "I mean, we all get crushes, right?"

Chitose crossed his arms. "Yeah, but once in a while, they're actually meant to be! And we just brush them off as another crush! What if this one's meant to be?"

Shiraishi pointed his finger accusingly at Chitose. "Now you're just acting like a girl. I'm sure this isn't meant to be! I mean, Syusuke's nice, smart, pretty—" Shiraishi stopped talking suddenly. "Not pretty, I mean _gorgeous_."

Chitose turned around and saw, indeed, his fair haired friend in (what did he expect, exactly?) a pale blue skirt, with a white tank top that was barely strapped to him. He had sunglasses in his hand, a purse around his shoulder, and a shopping bag in the other. His high heels clicked on the tile floor. Around him, Chitose saw, men and ladies alike were gawking at his _stunning beauty_. He could almost see the fake wind blow his hair, like in those commercials. Next to him was a very stylishly dressed Kintarou, who was the same height. Those two looked like something out of a magazine.

Shiraishi was speechless, but Chitose stood up and waved hand eagerly. Fuji sped up his pace, and Kintarou struggled to keep up, though normal people probably wouldn't notice it. Chitose had to admit, he looked absolutely dazzling in that outfit, and he was very good at walking with high heels (where did he get _that_ from?). He heard murmurs of "Oh god, she's with not one, but _three_ hot guys."

Stopping in front of the two older boys, Fuji posed and said, "How do you like it?" He smiled like he always had, which only succeeded in attracting more attention. Of course, that was exactly what the brunette wanted.

"I'm stunned speechless," Chitose replied. When the staring subsided, he said, "How did you manage to pull that off?"

Fuji blinked. "It was easy, really, and I'll show you in the bathroom—"

"No, really, I'm fine," Chitose said. "I meant on Kintarou." He pointed at the redhead, who was currently rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed, while talking to a couple ladies his age.

Fuji smiled again. "I have my ways."

Chitose stepped closer, leaning in. Whispering in the slightly shorter one's ear, he said, "Tell me."

Fuji's eyes snapped open. "It—it was just a bribery. I would play a match with him later…" He backed away, falling against the table behind him. But with him being so light, it barely budged.

Chitose backed away. "Haha, with you?" The air immediately lightened.

Fuji got off the table and dusted himself off. He put on his mask of a smile again and said, "Well, I told him _maybe_ with Echizen."

Chitose looked at Shiraishi, who was involuntarily on the edge of his seat. He waved Fuji and Kintarou, who had finally diverted his attention back to the group of boys, off to the restaurants. "Why don't you two get something to eat? We'll be right there." Fuji and Kintarou walked quickly over, still catching the attention of many people. "Well?" he said when the shorter two were out of hearing range.

"Well what?" Shiraishi said, annoyed. "What was with that act you pulled just now?!"

Chitose laughed. "Told you that you were madly in love with him!"

"I—"

"Trying to argue? You were just perched on the edge of your seat with anxiety just now!"

Shiraishi sighed. "Alright, I give in. But it's just a crush, like I said before. Nothing to make a big deal about."

Chitose smiled. "It _is_ something to make a big deal about. You've never fallen in love before. How is Syusuke different than everyone else?"

"I don't know, he's just _different_."

Chitose looked up. "Ah, speak of the devil."

"The devil indeed," Shiraishi muttered.

Fuji joined them at the table, along with Kintarou. "Way to join us, guys."

"Sorry, we were just caught up in something," Chitose said.

"We decided to buy extra meals for you two, though, luckily," Kintarou added.

"How sweet of you," Chitose said, smiling. Half the food court fainted.

Fuji laughed, and the other half fainted. "Here, this one's for you." He handed a meal to Chitose, which consisted of stir fry over white rice. He then handed one to Shiraishi. "And this is for you."

The two older boys thanked him and began eating. Fuji looked over at Shiraishi's meal. "Ah, yours is different. I was sure that we all got the same."

Chitose looked down. "Syusuke, we all got different ones."

Fuji blinked. "Then why did I notice Kuranosuke's? Maybe because it looked the most appetizing." He smiled. "Mind if I try some?"

"Sure," Shiraishi replied. He picked up some stir fry with his chopsticks and moved them to Fuji's plate, obviously expecting him to take them with his own chopsticks. But Fuji leaned down and ate the food right off of Shiraishi's chopsticks.

Smiling, he said, "Thanks."

"Not a problem," Shiraishi said. Chitose smirked, watching all of it, and Kintarou was munching contently on his meal, indifferent to the entire ordeal.

----------------------------------

Near sunset, Fuji bowed deeply to Chitose. "Thank you very much for this day," he said. "I had such a great time."

"No problem," Chitose said. "It's great to see you again. And it looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of you."

Fuji nodded. "I'm so happy I go to school here. Osaka is the best, and with you guys, it's only better."

"Well, see you later, then!" Kintarou said.

"Maybe we can all go on a picnic or something of the sort another time!" Chitose added. They parted with hugs, and walked opposing directions.

Fuji smiled with an arm linked in Shiraishi's. "Wasn't this the best day?" he asked pleasantly.

Shiraishi nodded. "Yeah, it was fun." He looked at Fuji. "You're still wearing that?"

Fuji looked down, forgetting that he was still in the skirt. He smiled even more. "Haha, yeah. I forgot. But hey, at least we won't look weird together."

"Do we look like we're dating?"

"Of course! Look at me! No guy and girl walk around like this together if they're not dating!"

Shiraishi rolled his eyes. "You sound like Chitose. One problem, though, you're not a girl!"

Fuji pouted. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Shiraishi looked at him. God, he looks _so adorably cute_ like that, he thought. He _barely_ resisted the urge to just jump him right there. "Erm…no, not really."

Fuji smiled. _That was just my win_. He returned to normal. "That's good." Smiling cutely again, he said, "Care to walk me home?"

The thought of jumping Fuji clicked back into Shiraishi's mind. Shiraishi stopped walking. Fuji looked at him. Shiraishi leaned in close to Fuji. "Of course," he whispered and closed the tiny distance between their lips. It was Fuji's first kiss in a very long time. It was his first kiss in fact, since his last kiss with his ex-boyfriend, Tezuka, back in junior high. He knew he would regret it later, but he pressed in further, deepening the kiss. Fuji thought that he wouldn't let himself fall in love or lose himself like this ever again, after the disaster that was the end of his relationship with Tezuka.

It wasn't customary of Tezuka just to end their intimacy like that. And it wasn't customary for Tezuka to end a relationship by, instead of telling him in the open, subtly seeing another person. Fuji was really in love, for the first time, and their love was supposed to be timeless, and most of all, perfect. But then, the end of the relationship came as quickly as the beginning did. And Fuji moved on to his dreams, desires, and everything he had wished for ever since he moved to Tokyo. The only thing holding him at Seishun was Tezuka Kunimitsu. But Fuji moved to Hyotei. And that was the end.

And now Shiraishi was here in front of him, kissing him and holding him, everything he had wished Tezuka would've come back to him and done. But the end had already passed, and ever since that message had arrived from Tezuka the other day, Fuji had been letting his guard down over and over. And now he was completely vulnerable, the same way he had so hopelessly been with Tezuka.

But Shiraishi was different. Fuji had let go of Tezuka after he had transferred out of Seishun, and he vowed to stop relating everything to him. And now that he was kissing Shiraishi, Fuji knew that it was Shiraishi himself, not Tezuka. And at that point, Fuji completely let go of everything that kept him attached to Tezuka.

Shiraishi pulled away, and smiled down at him. Fuji looked at Fuji. "Thank you, Kuranosuke. That was what I needed. Thank you."

"You're my best friend, Syusuke. I would do anything for you." Taking Fuji's hand, he walked them both back to their college campus as the sun slipped over the horizon.

* * *

Like this chapter? Yay, Fuji and Shiraishi finally kissed! Aren't we all happy for them? Or not, if you like AtoFuji better! Well, wait for the next chapter to see what happens, and as always, review review review! 


	6. Chapter 6: Shizouka

**Osaka**

**Summary:** For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

This chapter is LONG! xD;; Over 3000 words! Yay! That's my longest chapter ever! I personally like this chapter, too. And there's a little ToFu fluff in the beginning, too, for all you die heart AtobeFuji fans out there. xD;; Anyway, read, review, and enjoy! And happy birthday to Jiroh today! Though he's not in this fiction very much, I just wanted to say that.

* * *

**Chapter 6:**

_Shiraishi pulled away, and smiled down at him. Taking Fuji's hand, he walked them both back to their college campus as the sun slipped over the horizon._

Fuji arrived back at the dorm a bit later than he had anticipated, but Atobe should still be awake. But he might've had an exhausting day, Fuji mused, and decided to open the door quietly just in case. But what happened was just the opposite.

As soon as Fuji opened the door a centimeter, Atobe took the handle from the other side and swung it all the way open. "Where have you been?"

Fuji walked in and stepped out of his shoes effortlessly. "Didn't I tell you? I went to visit my Shitenhouji friends. And didn't you see the note?"

"But you're late."

Fuji turned to Atobe completely this time, with anger etched across his face. "It's only by fifteen minutes! I think I can take care of myself for that long! And Shiraishi was with me! Stop treating me like I'm some helpless child!" He stomped towards the bed and jumped on to it. He lay down flat on his back and covered his face.

"Syusuke, are you alright?" Atobe asked gently, his tone completely changing.

"I'm sorry, Keigo, I'm really sorry." Fuji turned towards him. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Honestly, I haven't been acting the same."

Atobe sat down on the bed. He had thought of the wittiest reply to that statement, but now obviously wasn't a good time. He put a hand on Fuji's thin shoulder. "If there's anything wrong, just tell me about it, okay?"

Fuji suddenly sat up and latched himself onto Atobe like he would never let go. Tears started to naturally pour out of his eyes. Fuji couldn't believe himself. He was sobbing for some unknown reason. He had been wrong. Back then on the street with Shiraishi hadn't been his most vulnerable moment, now was. That was the end of the earthquake that had tormented Fuji's life for three years, but this was the aftershock. The time when all the damages were surveyed and taken account for. This was when all the parents would realize that their kid or wife or husband was dead, and cry in agony and mourning.

"I'm…I'm so tired, Keigo. Please hold me…" was all Fuji could say. He buried his head into Atobe's warm chest and sobbed silently. Atobe just stay put and rubbed Fuji's back affectionately. "I'm so sorry…"

Atobe place a light kiss onto Fuji's head. "It's alright, my angel."

-----------------------------------

Fuji woke up the next day to find himself in a bed again with Atobe. And again to find him holding the former captain tightly. Atobe was sleeping soundly, with his mouth slightly agape, and his hair somewhat tousled. Fuji blinked as he recalled the events of the previous night without removing his arms from the tender presence of Atobe. Strange things did happen in this room indeed. Fuji vaguely remembered sobbing into his roommate's chest, and Atobe had said something afterwards, but he couldn't bring to mind what it was.

Fuji snuggled into Atobe's chest again, pulling him closer. Atobe shifted slightly, and opened his eyes. Without looking up, Fuji said, "Did I wake you?"

Atobe smirked down at Fuji. "Of course. I don't think you can hold me any tighter."

Fuji smiled himself. "I don't mind that. Do you?"

Fuji could feel Atobe shake his head, but just to clarify, Atobe said, "No way." The rested like that in comfortable silence for a while, until Atobe suddenly said, "You are really beautiful, you know."

Fuji looked up at Atobe. Instead of the expected, 'I know,' he said, "Thank you. Thank you very much." He laughed. "You know, we don't use the other bed that often anymore."

Atobe laughed along with Fuji. "I know. I happen to like your bed better. It's warmer."

"It's because I've been sleeping in it," Fuji said. He looked down and saw that he was in his pajamas. He remembered what he was wearing before, and blushed. "Did you change…me?"

Atobe looked away. "It looked uncomfortable. After you went to sleep I went down and washed it." He looked back at the brunette. "Why were you wearing that anyway?"

Fuji sighed. "A long story."

Atobe sat up so that Fuji was practically sitting in his lap. Well, actually, he _was_ sitting in his lap. Leaning in so that his lips were pretty much on Fuji's ear, he whispered, "Tell me, then. We have plenty of time."

Fuji turned his head so that his face was centimeters from Atobe's. He put his hands on the back of his neck. "Keigo…" Fuji said softly. He pulled himself up to Atobe's height and leaned in to kiss him. Atobe snaked his arms around Fuji's thin waist and pulled him in swiftly. After they parted, he suddenly got up. "I have to go water my cactus plants," Fuji said and spun on his heel. He got out the watering can, filled it up with ice cold water, and proceeded to water the cacti lined up at the window.

Atobe walked over to the window watching Fuji's gentle touch and how he would care for the cacti so much. Fuji noticed Atobe watching him, and named the cacti as he went down the row. As expected, they were named after his closest friends. There was Eiji, Kojiroh, Yuuta, Yumiko, Jiroh, Yuushi, Ryoma, and Seiichi. As Fuji got down to the last three, his tender smile widened. "This one would be Kura-chan, this is Keigo, and the last one—" And Fuji stopped there. His smile had vanished. His face was contorted in a mix of emotions, running from anger, to a deep sadness, to some kind of shock. "This last one is—" He tried to continue, but found it impossible. "K—Kuni-chan…" Fuji finally said after what seemed like forever.

The tears were now streaming down his face, flowing like they would never stop. No sobs were heard of visible, but the tears were just unstoppable. Atobe quickly jumped to his side. "I—I loved him…so much…" Fuji could hardly speak, even with Atobe's warm arm around him. He just seemed to not be able to let the other tennis player go from his life completely.

His fingers wrapped slowly around the potted plant. He picked it up and raised it high above his head. Just as his slender fingers loosened around the rim, another hand stopped his own. Atobe grasped the plant tightly around Fuji's fingers. "Don't. Syusuke. Please."

Outside the door, Shiraishi happened to be walking outside his room and down to the cafeteria for breakfast. He was passing by his friend's room when he heard Fuji's voice saying something about loving someone. That person had to be Atobe. He stopped to listen for more, but apparently, they had stopped talking. Shiraishi clenched his long fingers into fists, and instead of running down to the cafeteria, he ran straight out of the campus and into the city.

-----------------------------------

The sun was shining again that day, even more brightly than the previous one. Shiraishi had to squint to see the walking signals. He didn't really know where he was going; he was just letting his feet take him somewhere. Soon enough, he found himself in front of a familiar apartment building, last seeing it the day before.

He brought his finger up to the bell, but was hesitant. His friend would probably be cranky at being woken up early again to listen to Shiraishi's problems. But that wasn't the biggest issue right now. He pressed the bell slowly and surely. After a little while, the door opened. Chitose rubbed his eyes at first, since he didn't have his contacts in, obviously, but soon realized who it was.

"Oh, so it's just the husband this time," he muttered. "What do you want now?"

Shiraishi sighed deeply.

Before he even started speaking, Chitose's face suddenly turned caring. "Problems with Syusuke?"

Shiraishi blinked in surprise. "And how did you know?"

Chitose shrugged. "Let's just say I've had a lot of experience in this area. And you're easy to read."

Shiraishi looked at him oddly before walking into the door that Chitose was holding wide open. "I think living with a little sister has gotten to you."

They sat in silence for a while, just staring out into the city. The morning traffic was just starting up, and the sun was still not high in the sky yet. Shiraishi suggested opening the windows, but Chitose declined, explaining how Kintarou was still asleep, and he was a surprisingly light sleeper. "And with the traffic and noise that goes on around here, he'll no doubt wake up in five to ten seconds at most. And you don't want to cross a sleepy Kintarou," Chitose finished. "But let's get right to the point. Why _exactly_ are you here?"

"Syusuke confessed to Atobe this morning," Shiraishi said simply.

Chitose blinked. After a little while of silence, he said, "I doubt it." Another simple response.

Shiraishi stood up this time. Little words were needed to generate emotions since they were very close friends. "I heard him."

Chitose merely shook his head. "Syusuke's not the type to just openly confess like that. Maybe he was talking about someone else."

"Who else would he be talking about?"

Chitose thought it was perfectly obvious. During their match with Seigaku many years ago when Fuji still attended there, he had seen him glance at and stand unusually close to his former captain. They would engage in deep conversations, and whether they were about tennis Chitose could not tell. He was about to say so, but thought better of it. He didn't know what his friend's reaction would be, and he certainly didn't want to find out. And besides, if Shiraishi was jealous, he would try harder. And suddenly, a smile found its way onto Chitose's lips.

Shiraishi noticed this and sat back down. His legs were shaking unwillingly. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"I have a suggestion," Chitose stated.

Shiraishi paused a moment before saying, "What is it?"

Chitose's smile widened. He had him hooked. "Say you've been saving for a Prince O3 Hybrid Tour racquet for the past half year. You're finally at the store and they only have one racquet left. You pick up the racquet and start to walk it up to the cashier. Suddenly, someone snatches it out of your hands. What do you do?"

"Take it back," Shiraishi automatically replied.

"Right, but what if the other person is strong?"

"Erm…challenge them to a match?"

Chitose slapped his own forehead. "You're thinking too hard."

"Pull harder."

"Okay. But what if the racquet suddenly exclaims to the other person, 'O holy god! I wish for you to be my owner!'? Then what would you do?"

Shiraishi blinked. "Convince the racquet to want me to be its owner…?"

Chitose clapped. "Yay! Now you're getting the picture!"

Shiraishi was silent. After a little while he said, "…You're not very good at this, are you?"

Chitose shrugged. "First thing I could think of."

"And don't compare Syusuke to a tennis racquet. It's not even an O3 Speedport."

Chitose smiled. "Now you have the fighting power."

-----------------------------------

After thanking his friend and departing, Shiraishi pretty much ran all the way back to campus. The apartment and the campus were relatively close, so being the tennis player that he is; he didn't exert much energy in running back and forth. Thus, it took him a very short amount of time. But even so, he was out of breath when he reached the room, partially because he was running up the stairs, and partially from anticipation.

He went straight to Fuji's room before even returning to his own. He knocked quietly on the door, but after one knock, the door opened and Shiraishi didn't meet the face he had expected, he instead saw Atobe's face. Shiraishi's opened his mouth, but before he even said anything, Atobe said, "Looking for Fuji?" in a quiet voice.

Shiraishi nodded.

"He's…not available right now."

Shiraishi looked at him. He heard a shuffling sound which quieted. Atobe then closed the door silently.

Fuji rolled onto his back. "Who was it?" he said sleepily.

Atobe looked at him. "Sorry to wake you."

"Who was it?" he repeated and sat up, fully awake now. Fuji never really had any problems waking up, and they weren't about to start now.

Atobe looked down. "Your friend, whatever-his-face-was."

Fuji immediately jumped off the bed. "Kura-chan?!" He ran out into the hallway and nearly toppled over the one he was pursuing.

"Syusuke?" Shiraishi said, visibly surprised.

Fuji was panting from the struggle. "What were you here for?"

Shiraishi rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, since the weather is nice outside today, I was wondering if you want to—"

Fuji smiled. "Work on the contest entry?" he finished. "I'd love to. Come on; let's go before we get too hungry." He grabbed Shiraishi's wrist and ran for the door pulling the other along into the rising sun.

-----------------------------------

"So, any ideas?" Shiraishi said. They were sitting at a park along the river, sipping sodas. They had gotten hungry for breakfast on the way, and had stopped at a bagel place. Fuji's hand gripped his cup tighter. He tilted his head upward in thought for a moment, and shook his head.

Sighing, he said, "Well, I don't have anything to suggest now, but I know we shouldn't do something too cliché. There's no doubt that someone is going to do the classic ducks in the pond at sunset picture."

Shiraishi nodded. "And the silhouette of the profile view of a person's face."

Fuji laughed. "And the person reaching up towards the sun with sharp contrast on the person's skin."

"Wow, you know a lot about this," Shiraishi said, impressed.

Fuji smiled. "What did you expect? I'm a photographer."

"A natural at that."

"Don't flatter me too much," Fuji said. He knew he was thankful, though. He turned towards the river, relaxing his wrists behind his back. The smooth grass made small impressions in the palms of his hands. He shot his now empty cup into a trashcan at least five meters away. With the wind in his favor that day, it gracefully blew the cup, about a meter short originally, straight into the wastebasket.

"Having trouble brainstorming?" Shiraishi asked.

Fuji nodded regretfully.

"This isn't really like you," Shiraishi pointed out.

Fuji nodded again. "I know. I don't know what's up with me."

Shiraishi put an arm around Fuji's shoulders. "It's alright. We can just take an off day today, if you want to."

But unexpectedly, Fuji sat up very straight, though still not reaching his partner's height. "No. I want to get this done. Or at least get somewhere today."

"I don't know. We can't rush something like this. Remember, this contest is open to _anyone_ living in Osaka. There are professionals competing in this. It would be surprising if we even placed in the top ten."

Fuji lifted his hands off the ground quickly. He took a hold of Shiraishi's left hand with both of his own. "I want to win this," Fuji whispered. "With you. I want to win first place. I won't settle for second place."

Shiraishi left his hand in Fuji's and used his other, non-dominant hand to support himself. Staring at the sky, Shiraishi sighed. Fuji could really be stubborn sometimes. Fuji didn't look like the competitive type, and everyone knew he wasn't really in tennis. But with any type of art contest, ranging from drawing to photography to painting, which were his three strengths, he always had a need to be first, or to be best at everything. In Tokyo, or at Seishun, he had no competition, but here in Osaka, he had seen so much potential with everyone he had met at the college.

No one knew why he decided to look into photography instead of his other strengths, but no one really wanted to know that bad. They just knew that Fuji was good at all three, and photography just had been a lucky pick. For all they knew, at least. Only Fuji knew the real reason he had chosen photography. And perhaps his dear friend, Saeki, too, if he thought about it hard enough.

Finally, Shiraishi decided to answer. He chose his words carefully, knowing that with Fuji, one misspoken word could cost a lot. "If you want to be in first place, that is what we'll strive for, Syusuke."

They spent the rest of the day strolling around the park leisurely, and occasionally snapping a few pictures here and there. They were really waiting for the sunset, though, a prime time for contrasting shadows, exactly what they were looking for in this competition. They skipped lunch for that day, since they had a very late breakfast. Since the season was autumn, the sun was setting sooner and sooner.

Throughout the day, Fuji's love for tennis kept pulling him closer to the courts. The constantly snapped picture of kids playing; kids that were the age that they once were, barely popping the ball over the net, standing at the service line. He looked down the row of courts and something caught his eye. One boy, playing against his older brother or older friend, was hitting it aggressively. They were a bit older than the ones still playing mini-tennis, but they were no older than middle schoolers.

The boy had a glint in his eyes, a deep, intense shine. It was chilling, really, and Fuji almost felt pity for the older brother. _Stay away,_ Fuji mind automatically warned. _Don't attack until it's time_. But the older boy kept trying to play forcefully. Fuji shook his head, disappointed at the older one's ignorance. The younger boy barely broke a sweat defeating him, 6-0.

The last point, though, was something Fuji would remember. The older one, annoyed at his near loss, smashed it. The ball was clearly going to be out, but the younger boy didn't want to win a match on a point as useless as that one. Taking it out of the air, the younger boy was poised, ready to his a groundstroke. But at the last moment, he sliced down the ball, backhandedly, so that it spun directly on the cord staying in one place, and finally tipped over to the other side of the net.

Fuji opened his eyes at the impressive move. It looked a lot like Marui of Rikkaidai's tightrope walking move, but it didn't roll along the net. He smiled and started clapping, camera bouncing lightly at his chest. The boy glanced in his direction for a moment, and blushing, he looked away. The people around the court who had also witnessed it started clapping also, including Shiraishi. The boy reminded Fuji of Ryoma, when he had first entered Seishun, besides the fact that he was a more of a counter puncher than an all rounder. But it was clear that the boy could attack at the net and the baseline.

Breaking the silence, Shiraishi said, "Wow. That was impressive. How did he manage to do that?"

Fuji replayed the point in his mind. He then said, "Well, as you could probably tell, the older one smashed it out of the air with a little topspin, almost like a spin serve, hoping that that would drive the ball in. It didn't, though, but the younger one decided to pursue it anyway. He applied slice to the topspin ball, like in my 'Tsubame Gaeshi', but he applied it under the ball instead of down the back of the ball. On top of that, he aimed it at the cord to make it look even better. If it hadn't hit the cord, it would've just spun on the ground. In hitting the cord, the younger one took a risk, since it would then be much easier to return, but he knew he would win the point anyway."

"Impressive explaination," the boy said, coming up from behind Fuji. Fuji nodded and grabbed Shiraishi's hand again.

"We should get going. You should really go pro when you get older," Fuji said. He dragged Shiraishi along back to the river, all the while taking pictures at misplaced tennis balls lying in the fallen leaves.

* * *

So, how did you like it? The chapter was fun to write...and I hope you like the story to come! And a big thank you to all my faithful readers an reviewers! You make my day every day! And don't forget to review this chapter, too! xD 

And writing an explanation to that move was fun, too. I love to make up new moves, and it's easy explaining them, since I play tennis myself.


	7. Chapter 7: Chiba

**Osaka**

**Summary:** For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

Back down to over 2000 words. But I like this chapter, too! I think all you ShiFuji fans will like it, as well as the ToFu fans out there! Speaking of which, I need some people to help me think of a name for ShiFuji pairing. That would be so cool! I can' think of anything, though. 'Ecstasy Pair', maybe, of 'Bible Pair'? I feel very uncreative right now. xD;; Pleas help! And as always, read, review, and enjoy!

**Chapter 7:**

_Fuji dragged Shiraishi along back to the river, all the while taking pictures at misplaced tennis balls lying in the fallen leaves._

Fuji sighed. "We haven't thought of a good idea all day."

Shiraishi pointed at the sky. "But look. It's finally sunset."

Fuji looked, and indeed, the sun was starting to tip over the horizon. He suddenly had a feeling of nostalgia. He was transported back to the time when he was in junior high school, the best years of his life.

Fuji was standing at the river in Tokyo near his school. It was the river where his friends and he would always hang out. He was sitting on the bank of the river at sunset, and there was someone beside him. Fuji didn't dare look, because he knew it would bring back memories. Fuji quickly shook the thought out of his head before it haunted him too much.

He knew that he would have a limited amount of time to take good pictures, so thinking quickly, he set up his tripod along the river. Fuji locked the camera horizontally on the tripod and tightened it in place. He extended the front leg of the tripod so that it was slightly longer and the other two, since they were on a small decline. After the camera was placed so that it faced the river and the sun, Fuji then realized that he had no idea what he was going to take a picture of.

"How about the skyline?" he suggested. Shiraishi merely shook his head.

"Cliché."

"Empty boat floating in the river?"

Shiraishi shook his head again. "Where are we going to get the boat?" Fuji hadn't thought of that. "It was a good idea, though," Shiraishi pointed out, sensing Fuji's disappointment. Fuji sat down at the river next to Shiraishi so that his back was to Shiraishi's shoulder, a couple meters away from the camera. He turned his head sideways and stared blankly into the river.

"It's pointless. We're never going to think of anything," Fuji said resignedly. He turned his head again so that he was looking upriver. He had never felt this feeling of defeat before; not in photography at least. And he vowed never to feel it again after today.

He tilted his head back and rested it on his friend's shoulder. It wasn't a split second before his head came in contact with Shiraishi's shoulder that a small click could be heard. Fuji looked up at the river again. "That wasn't just my camera now, was it?"

Shiraishi smirked. "You got it on the first try."

Fuji blinked in surprise. "But how did you—"

"Timer."

Fuji still looked a little shocked, and Shiraishi could tell. Recovering himself, he smiled. "Well, done, Kura-chan. I would've never thought of it. Two boys, the forbidden love, against the sunset, resting along the river. Perfect timing, too. A moment earlier and there would've been a major motion blur."

"Maybe I should be Kura-sama now, then," Shiraishi joked. "I'll take it back to campus and up the contrast a little bit. We should leave it in color instead of sepia or black and white to bring out the background of the orange sunset."

"It was perfect, really," Fuji went on. "I love how it was completely natural, and no posing was involved. Genius."

"I say we made quite an accomplishment. I thought it would nice if we didn't have to pose. I don't like posed pictures as much as natural ones," Shiraishi said. Fuji simply nodded in response. "Tired?" Shiraishi asked.

"Yeah."

"Then maybe we should head back." Fuji nodded again in agreement. Shiraishi offered a hand which Fuji took eagerly. They walked back to the campus.

The sun was still setting and the wind was blowing slightly. It was a comfortable breeze really; just enough to that their hair blew, but not enough to chill them. Fuji wondered why there weren't more people walking. He sighed and lifted his arms so that his hands interlocked behind his head. He looked at the orange sky. It was streaked with cirrus clouds, clouds that symbolized fair weather. He wondered what the weather would be like tomorrow. Fuji didn't hope for anything, because he didn't dislike any type of weather. Everything had its ups and downs, anyway, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. Fuji's philosophy was that he shouldn't worry about things that were uncontrollable. It was easier said than done, Fuji mused.

He closed his eyes again and smiled. He kept walking forward until they reached the campus. This was where he parted with Shiraishi, who wanted to eat dinner in the building with the cafeteria. Fuji told him he wasn't hungry and that he would just head back to his room. Shiraishi smiled and waved as he ran to the main building, and Fuji continued to stroll leisurely towards the building that housed Atobe and him.

Fuji let his hands drop to his side after his friend was out of hearing range. His smiled disappeared from his face, and eyes blinked open again. For the past hour, he had felt a little nauseated, but didn't want Shiraishi to worry, so had kept it to himself. Fuji was the type that would rather take the blame himself than bother other people, when it concerned his friends and family.

Fuji stumbled a little, and regained his composure. Now, instead of the sun being nice and warm, it was unbearably hot. The wind had stopped blowing and the stillness made Fuji feel worse. The air felt stuffy, and Fuji felt that someone had put his head in a bag and left it there for too long. Yes, he felt like he was suffocating, though he was just walking.

Fuji looked down. No, he wasn't walking at all. He was just standing there, not being able to take another step. He fell onto his knees, balancing himself with his hands. He didn't want to let himself just give up right there, but didn't have a choice as his consciousness left him. Fuji felt the word around him getting darker, and he braced himself for the impact of the hard cement against his body. But that never came. The only thing he remembered was strong arms gripping his shoulders.

-------------------------------

Atobe looked out the window again. When would Fuji return? Why was he making Atobe agonize like this? Atobe wouldn't eat dinner in peace until he knew that Fuji was safe. Since when did he worry like this about other people? Atobe sighed and sat on the bed closest to the large window opposite to the door that led into their room. He propped his head onto his elbows. He felt that he had been asking himself a lot of questions lately, since he enrolled in this college, and especially since he entered this room.

Fuji hadn't really been spending that much time in the room lately. Atobe smiled wryly. Didn't he ever get tired? Or run out of energy? Fuji wasn't really the energetic type, but Atobe found that he could get a lot of things done at once without resting in between. Atobe knew that it wasn't really good for his health, but he knew that there wasn't anything that he could do about it. Fuji could be as stubborn as Ryoma sometimes, and he wasn't one to hide it.

As if confirming his thoughts, Atobe glanced up out the window again, and sure enough, he saw two figures this time coming into the main gate. They seemed to be walking upright, until one person left the other. A moment later, the one who was left to stand there dropped his cheerful persona. He limped slowly towards the building. That couldn't be Fuji, Atobe let himself think. But as he looked closer at the figure, he knew that he denied his thoughts.

Atobe immediately left the window and ran down the stairs, sure that at how fast he was running, the stairs were quicker than the elevator. He practically jumped out of the main doors, and ran to Fuji's side just as he collapsed into Atobe's arms.

"Syusuke…" was all Atobe could say at first. Picking him up, Atobe walked back into the building, taking the elevator this time, careful as to not jostle his friend too much. "You've over-exerted yourself this time, haven't you?" he whispered as he carefully placed him onto the bed. Atobe waited for Fuji to wake up, and didn't touch an ounce of food.

-------------------------------

Fuji opened his eyes to find himself on his bed again. Weird, he thought, he never remembered walking back to the room. He found his camera still strapped securely around his neck, where he left it. The card was gone, but he remembered that Shiraishi had taken it before he had left to eat dinner.

Fuji looked up and saw Atobe slumped over in a chair, obviously sleeping. Fuji glanced over at the clock. It read 12:38 AM. Fuji blinked and tried to sit up, but his head wouldn't let him. His head felt a thousand pounds heavier than normal.

"Smart choice," a voice said. It was Atobe, of course. "You probably shouldn't sit up any time soon. You really overdid it this time."

Fuji frowned. "I'm sorry," he said. Atobe still averted his gaze. "Sorry for making you run all the way down there."

Atobe still didn't look at him.

Fuji tried again. "Sorry for making you carry me upstairs?"

Didn't work. Finally Atobe sighed and looked Fuji in the eye. "Can't you see it?"

Fuji blinked. "What?"

"Can't you see that it doesn't bother me at all to run downstairs and take an unconscious boy back up? I'm a tennis player, Syusuke."

Fuji frowned again. "I can see that, Keigo. Are you saying that I shouldn't be apologizing?"

Atobe stood up. "You worry me, Syusuke! I was worried sick about you! You can't see that? Why not?!" he shouted.

Fuji merely blinked, glued back onto the bed. "You were worried about me?" he said after a long silence. "You? Worried about me?"

Atobe turned away and stared out the window. It was dark outside now, obviously, and the rain had just started to pour down, but it was coming down in big heavy sheets. Atobe drew the curtains shut; he didn't want to look out at the rain. After he was sure that Syusuke was asleep, he turned and said, with a sad face, "For me to be worried about you…is that so out of place?"

-------------------------------

Fuji Syusuke woke up to the sound of the torrents of rain still flooding down onto the glass window. The clock by his bed read 6:03 AM, but Fuji felt like he overslept big time. His head felt heavy, but unlike last night, he could at least get up.

Memories of the previous night quickly flashed back into Fuji's head. He glanced over at Atobe's bed and found it neatly made. There was a small note on the bed that said, "Dear Syusuke, I've gone out for a walk. See you later."

Fuji read over it nearly twenty times, and dropped the small, white piece of paper. He looked out the window again. In this weather?! What had he been thinking?! Fuji ran his hand across the bed. It was still warm. Maybe, just maybe, Fuji could catch him before he stepped out into the freezing rain. Fuji ran out of the door and slammed it shut, oblivious to the fact that people were sleeping around him. He flew down the stairs, though this time hardly making a sound, and caught Atobe's left shoulder just as he opened the door.

Not expecting the sudden halt, Fuji flew into Atobe's back, and they were both sent tumbling into the rain. Fuji clutched onto Atobe's shoulder as if the world would end if he let go. They toppled onto the soaking wet ground, Atobe on top of Fuji. They didn't care that their clothes were getting completely drenched; they needed to talk.

Fuji grasped onto Atobe's shirt and pulled himself up into a warm embrace, despite the rain and relatively cold temperatures. "I'm sorry, Keigo," Fuji murmured. "I was being so heartless last night."

Atobe just wrapped his arm around Fuji's back and used the other to support himself and the other boy.

Fuji continued. "I don't know what I was thinking or saying…I really hurt you, didn't I? It's such a great way to thank someone who saved me," Fuji said sarcastically. "I am so sorry for not recognizing your worry. I feel so blind."

Atobe couldn't tell whether the wetness on his cheeks was from the rain or was from Fuji's tears. Atobe tightened his hold on the brunette and stood up slowly. Fuji melted into the embrace, slumping slightly onto the taller boy. "Let's get you inside," Atobe said quietly. "Why did you come after me?"

Fuji lifted his head with effort and smiled warmly up at Atobe. "I was worried about you."

* * *

Did you like this chapter? Did it satisfy both crowds? We still do not know who Fuji will end up with in the end! You'll just have to wait to find out! ;) Please review. And once again, a big thank you to all my reviewers. I love you all! 


	8. Chapter 8: Aichi

**Osaka**

**Summary:** For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

I actually like this chapter, too! I won't tell you, but some answers to questions you guys have been asking are revealed here! And it's over 2500 words long! I won't tell you anymore, since I still want you to read it. xD Anyway, read, review, and enjoy!

**Chapter 8:**

"_Why did you come after me?"_

_Fuji lifted his head with effort and smiled warmly up at Atobe. "I was worried about you."_

Fuji let the warm water of the shower rain down onto his shoulders. The constant spray of water droplets felt good, especially after being out in the rain like that, lying on the ground. Fuji had already washed, but now he was just enjoying the warmness.

No sooner had Fuji stepped out of the shower than there was a small knock on the door. Fuji shouted, "I'll get it," and quickly threw on his clothes. He ran out of the bathroom, flung open the door, and found himself face to face with Shiraishi.

Shiraishi was smiling happily, and didn't look the least bit tired. He grabbed Fuji's wrist and pulled him back to Shiraishi's own room, not caring that Fuji's wet hair was scattering water everywhere. Fuji had no choice but to follow him.

As soon as Fuji entered the room, he instantly felt that home-like feel. Shiraishi managed to pull that off wherever he lived. Maybe because his things were always thrown all over the place. But somehow, he always found whatever he needed and always knew where everything was. Fuji envied him for that. But Fuji's room was always neat. Fuji couldn't stand being sloppy or messy himself, but with other people, he didn't really mind. It was one of those things that he couldn't do anything about, anyway.

Shiraishi led him over to the computer and showed him the picture on the screen. Fuji gasped as his eyes registered what it was. It was the picture that they, or Shiraishi to be precise, had taken yesterday. Their shadows contrasted deeply with the sky, but not so much that it looked bad. Everything looked perfect. The photo looked like it was professional.

"It's perfect," Fuji murmured.

Shiraishi grinned. "Meet the magic of Photoshop. I'm glad you like how it turned out."

Fuji slung his arm around Shiraishi's shoulder contently and smiled. "It couldn't have turned out better. You're amazing, Kura-chan. No, Kura-sama."

Shiraishi laughed. "Enough with the honorifics. It was a joke."

Fuji laughed, too. "Okay, whatever you say. We should get this printed at a photo printing place. It's really nice! And just in time, too. The deadline to turn it in is tomorrow, I think."

Shiraishi's eyes widened. "It is? We should hurry, then!"

Fuji chuckled. He waited for Shiraishi to copy the image onto a different SanDisk, one that he used to print images, and they raced each other to the big plaza by the mall that they visited a couple days ago.

The posters were still up, and it had stopped raining. Fuji just noticed that whenever he was with Atobe, it would rain, and whenever he was with Shiraishi, it would stop, and perhaps even be sunny. Maybe it was just a coincidence, or maybe it was a sign. Fuji sighed and dismissed it, joking with himself that he would never get to play an outdoor tennis match with Atobe then.

Fuji and Shiraishi splashed through the puddles, despite how childish it looked. Shiraishi had the unique ability to make Fuji feel careless and free whenever they were together. When they were together, Fuji didn't care what other people thought of him and felt like he could do whatever he wanted to without worrying with Shiraishi by his side.

Fuji's wrist was grabbed as Shiraishi skidded to a stop. Fuji was still running at full speed, so he lost his footing and nearly fell to the ground, but his companion grabbed his shoulders just in time. Fuji thanked Shiraishi, they nodded to each other, and they walked into the shop.

The little bell rang as the two walked in. It was a small shop, but Fuji noticed as he looked around, it housed some very nice cameras. A lot of them were way too expensive for him, and Fuji was happy with his own Canon camera. It had cost over 80000 yen (around $700), and Fuji wasn't really thinking of getting another one. He looked with interest at the Canon lenses, though, before catching up with Shiraishi who was already at the counter.

"Do you need these printed?" a young girl at the counter asked.

"Yes, miss, if you don't mind," Fuji said. He smiled a charming smile, and the girl blushed. Shiraishi nudged Fuji in the back, and Fuji smiled even more. Shiraishi snaked an arm around Fuji's waist, and the girl blushed even more. The girl took the bag that held the card and scurried into the back room.

When the girl was clearly out of hearing range, Fuji turned to Shiraishi. "What was that?" he asked.

"To show that you're mine," Shiraishi said simply.

"Oh, so we're a couple now?" Fuji said.

"It's not a problem, is it?" Shiraishi said and smirked. Fuji shook his head and leaned up to kiss the other quickly. Fuji turned around and faced the counter again just as the girl walked back out. Her face was still a bit red.

"Erm…it'll be done in an hour, and it'll be 2000 yen (about $17)," she said.

"Expensive," Shiraishi whispered.

"I've seen well over 2500 yen before. It's not too bad," Fuji replied.

"Ummm…we'll charge you when you get back…" she said shyly.

"Alright, we'll be back, then," Fuji said and smiled. Shiraishi spun Fuji around as if he had been doing it all his life and pushed him by the small of his back out of the store.

When they were outside, Shiraishi turned to Fuji and finished the kiss that they had started in the photo shop. Fuji leaned in to Shiraishi to deepen the kiss. This kiss was obviously more intimate and prolonged, and when they parted, they were both gasping for breath. "Anywhere you'd like to go for breakfast, _honey_?" Shiraishi asked.

"Stop teasing me," Fuji said. "I'm not honey."

"Oh? But I thought we were a couple," Shiraishi said, still with a hint of playfulness in his voice.

"But that doesn't make me honey," Fuji pointed out. "I might be more like wasabi."

"When you're angry," Shiraishi said. "When you're cute like this, you're definitely honey."

"But I don't want to be honey," Fuji protested. Shiraishi laughed.

"Do you realize how pointless our discussion is?" he said.

Fuji blinked. "I just noticed. I guess it has meaning when I'm with you," Fuji said. "I love you, Kura-chan."

They kissed one more time, and when they parted, Shiraishi said, "I love you too, Syusuke. You mean the world to me."

Suddenly, cheers were heard behind the two. Chitose walked up from behind Fuji and Kintarou jumped onto Shiraishi's back. "You two finally confessed!"

Fuji blinked. "Were you two watching the entire time?"

Kintarou grinned. He was being extra hyper today, but then again, when wasn't he? "Of course! You two make the most perfect couple ever! We couldn't wait until you two got together!"

Chitose continued what Kintarou was too excited to say. "We figure you would handle it by yourself, but Atobe could pose a problem. We didn't interfere _that much_," he said, looking at Shiraishi. "Just some pep-talks here and there, but you two got together on your own, pretty much. It just proves how great you guys look together."

"Which reminds me, Syusuke, in your room the other day, who were you talking about when you said that you loved someone so much?" Shiraishi asked.

Fuji's eyes snapped open. "You—you heard!" he nearly shouted. Shiraishi nodded. Fuji's eyes remained opened. "I wasn't talking about Atobe, or whatever you thought. It was my ex. He was…Te—Tezuka Kunimitsu," Fuji stuttered. His knees buckled under him at the mention of the name.

Chitose was instantly there to catch him. Shiraishi gasped. "I'm so sorry, Syusuke, I didn't mean to—"

Fuji shook his head. He tried to stand again, but couldn't. "I'm trying to forget him…" and at that, the tears came. Slow at first, but flowing endlessly after a short while. The three of the other boys stood around him, with Chitose supporting his back, not knowing what to do.

Shiraishi finally came up to Fuji and wiped away his tears with the end of his sleeve. "Shh, Syusuke…" he whispered. "Don't try too hard. You don't have to forget him, you know."

Fuji looked up at Shiraishi.

Chitose started after Shiraishi. "Kura-chan's right, you know. You don't have to forget Tezuka. He can stay in your memories. You don't have to ever talk to him again, but please, don't hurt yourself trying to forget him. You'll only bring pain to yourself. It's easier just setting him aside."

This time, Kintarou jumped in, surprisingly. "Tezuka shouldn't mean so much to you anymore! Just don't think about him, but don't try to hard not to think about him! Do you get what I'm saying? You might not be completely over with him yet, and that's not a problem! As long as you don't get hurt."

"You know, you're all we care about right now," Shiraishi said.

Fuji smiled. "Thank you all. Kuranosuke, I love you. I love you more than I could ever love Tezuka. You mean so much to me, and I trust that you will stay by my side. And Senri and Kintarou, you, too. You guys are the best friends I could ever have. So, thank you for always being there for me. I feel like I'm always depending on someone. The more I try to be independent, the more I lean on someone else's shoulder," Fuji said.

"And it's not a problem, you know," Shiraishi cut in. "When you want to be independent, that's great, but whenever you need someone to support you, we will always be there. Now come, Syusuke, we'll treat you to breakfast." Shiraishi led Fuji and the rest of them to a small café, with Chitose holding Fuji's hand tightly with every step. Fuji's face was still tear-streaked, but his eyes weren't red. They still stood surprisingly white, with the beautiful cerulean iris, because Fuji's eyes were perfect.

They ordered tea for the four of them and milk for Kintarou, since he wasn't allowed to drink caffeinated things (gee, I wonder why), and he didn't like the bitter taste of tea. They didn't really care how strange it looked with the three beautiful boys fussing over another one. Like Shiraishi said, all they cared about was their Syusuke at that moment.

After breakfast, the four of them were walking slowly around the block. Fuji suddenly stopped and blinked. The tears stains had been washed from his face, and he looked like the little incident had never happened. "Ah, we should probably go back to that photo place to pick up our picture," Fuji said.

"For the competition?" Kintarou said animatedly.

Fuji nodded.

"Oh my gosh! I want to see it so bad! It's probably amazing, since Syu-chan and Kura-chan worked on it together!!!"

Fuji and Shiraishi smiled. "I wonder what that young lady will think this time," Fuji said quietly to Shiraishi, who chuckled.

The little bell rang again as the four of them strode into the store. The girl looked up from the book that she was reading and immediately blushed. She saw Chitose and Kintarou and blushed even more. "Some strange wind's going to blow by and leave her face looking permanently like that (1)," Fuji whispered to Shiraishi who laughed out loud this time.

"Erm…your picture is ready! It looks really nice! Did you two take it yourselves?" she asked quickly. Fuji nodded and thanked her. He took (magically) exactly 2000 yen out of his pocket.

"Lucky me," he said and placed it on the counter. "Thanks again." Fuji and Chitose flashed their trademark smiles (2) at the same time and the girl fainted. They quickly left the shop after that.

Right when the door closed, Kintarou started jumping up and down. "Let me see it! Let me see it!" he demanded loudly. Fuji smiled and opened the large envelope slowly. Delicately lifting out the image, he gasped. It looked even better on paper, if that was even possible. Kintarou stared speechless at it and even Chitose's eyes widened.

"It's beautiful, Syusuke, Kura-chan," Chitose said breathlessly. "I can't even think of a word to describe it. Perfect, I guess. But even that's not good enough."

Fuji blushed. "Kuranosuke mostly did it…he timed the photo and edited it…"

Shiraishi patted Fuji's back. "But it wouldn't be the same picture it was without you, Syusuke. Now let's go enter it."

They nearly ran to the headquarters, which was in a hotel. They walked in and immediately felt out of place. The inside was gorgeous, even more so than Osaka College of Arts. The floor was marble tiled with an intricate sun pattern. A small plaque on the side told who designed it and the time designed. The ceiling on the other hand, had a large stained glass arc which looked like a moon. The walls were indescribably flower patterned, with pillars lining it that had ivy leaves carved on to it. A large lotus fountain stood alone in the middle of the sun on the ground and moon on the ceiling. It was obvious that the hotel had sponsored other art contests.

Fuji walked in and looked around, holding the envelope cautiously in his hand. Right in the front, there was a table with a deep blue velvet cloth over it, with a sign that said 'Osaka Autumn Art Competition 2007' in elegant characters. Fuji rushed over to the table with his friends following closely behind.

"Is this where I can register for the contest?" Fuji asked politely. The lady at the table looked up at him. She had dark hair and a kind of scowl on her face. She was pretty, but Fuji knew that she would look better if she were smiling. But from the way she looked now, he knew that that rarely happened.

"I'm sorry, but registrations closed a couple minutes ago," she said monotonously. Fuji's jaw dropped.

"You're kidding me," he whispered. "No, this can't be true, this can't be true."

"Well it is," she said coldly. "Anything else I can help you with?"

Shiraishi took the envelope out of Fuji hands and slammed it down on the table, wary not to bend the picture. "Listen, ma'am, this—" and was cut off by a shout.

"What's going on over here?" another lady asked. She was slightly younger, but obviously the manager of the hotel. She had the same countenance, just more pleasant looking. "Causing trouble again, sister?"

The lady at the table rolled her eyes. "Sachiko, they're trying to register for the competition, but registrations closed a little while ago. They obviously have no other business here." She got up from her seat. "Should I show them to the door?"

"Wait a moment, Ayumi," Sachiko said. Ayumi sighed and sat down. "Let me see your entry."

Fuji took the envelope back and took out the picture gradually. Sachiko took it out of Fuji's hands and eyed it critically. She tried to hide her amazement but failed. She looked at it for a while. "Ayumi, get out a registration envelope," Sachiko said without taking her eyes off of the picture.

"What? But we refused all the others!"

Sachiko winked. "I'm sure we have room for just one more." Fuji let out a breath that he had been unconsciously holding.

Fuji took the lady's hand and shook it gratefully. "Thank you so much! You don't know how indebted to you we are! Thank you!"

Sachiko smiled. "You guys have potential, so don't let it go to waste."

Fuji filled out the sheet in his perfect handwriting and slipped the picture, in his envelope, into the registration envelope and handed it to one cranky Ayumi. She took it and placed in the box of registrations. "Thanks for registering," she said, annoyed, "Is there anything else?"

"No thank you and thanks again!" Fuji said. He flashed a smile at both of the sisters, and Sachiko smiled back, but Ayumi didn't seem to be affected. The four scurried out of the hotel and back into the mid-morning sun.

* * *

Do you like this chapter? Notice how I always say that at the end of a chapter. xD;; I have some endnotes, though.

1: If you get that reference from the time Kirihara visited (it's in the manga, and I think it's in the anime, too, but I'm not sure; it's been a while), congrats. You're an avid Tenipuri fan. xD

2: I'm not sure if Chitose has a trademark smile or not, but in this fic he does!

Please review! And thanks for staying with me!


	9. Chapter 9: Kyoto

**Osaka**

**Summary:** For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

This one's kind of short, but not really, since it's still over 2000 words! This is a random thought that I thought of today. Does SaekixFuji have a name? If they don't, they should be, like, the handsome pair or something. xD;; Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy! There's a tennis match in the chapter! But it's doubles. And that gives you a hint of who will be in it! xP

**Chapter 9:**

_The four scurried out of the hotel and back into the mid-morning sun._

"I thought you said that we had to turn it in by tomorrow," Shiraishi said to Fuji as they walked back outside.

Fuji smiled. "I must've read the wrong time. I think they're going to finish judging by tomorrow."

Shiraishi rolled his eyes. "That almost cost our entry!"

Fuji smiled even more. "What would life be without risks?"

Chitose and Kintarou chuckled. "That's so much like you, Syusuke," Chitose said. "Well, shall we head back?"

"Yeah, that would be good," Kintarou said. He just then thought of a great idea. "Neh, Syusuke, Kura-chan, you want to sleep over tonight?"

Fuji's eyes snapped open. "Um, isn't it, like, 11:00 in the morning?"

Shiraishi slung and arm around Fuji's shoulders. "Don't mind him, he thinks of random things at random times. Wouldn't it be fun, Syusuke?"

Fuji sighed and gave in. "Fine. Just let me call Atobe." He dug into his pocket and took out his phone. Dialing Atobe's number, he raised the phone to his ear. After a couple rings, Atobe finally picked up.

"Hello?" his voice said.

"Keigo, it's Syusuke," Fuji said.

"Oh, hello."

"Erm…I'm going with Shiraishi today, and I'm not coming back until some time tomorrow. Is that okay?"

There was silence on the phone. Fuji knew that Atobe didn't hang up, since he would never do that to Fuji. After a while, Atobe said, "You don't have to have my permission for that. Have fun," and hung up.

Fuji took the phone away from his ear, surprised. He snapped it shut and smiled. "Where shall we go first, Kuranosuke, Senri, Kintarou?"

They smiled back at him and jump-skipped to the nearest tennis court.

-----------------------------

"One-set match, Fuji Chitose Pair versus Shiraishi Kintarou Pair!" a random bystander who knew tennis points called from the referee chair. Fuji tightened his grip on his racquet that had been lent to him by Shiraishi. Shiraishi carried three racquets in his bag, and Chitose carried three. At least the racquet that he was holding was similar to his own. The strings were strung a little tighter, 25kg as apposed to 24kg. The racquet was 7 points head light instead of 6 points head light, and it was 68.6 cm instead of 70cm, but there wasn't that much difference. The main difference was that the racquet was Wilson instead of Prince, but their racquets were somewhat similar anyway.

Fuji stood at the net and Chitose in the back. Shiraishi was at the net and Kintarou in the back. Chitose was serving first. A normal serve came from Fuji's side, and he started bouncing on his feet. Kintarou returned it down the line, and Fuji volleyed it back at the right baseline, driving it past Shiraishi and Kintarou.

"15-0!" the referee shouted. Fuji smiled, revealing his eyes.

"I see your skill hasn't declined one bit," Shiraishi said.

"Quite the opposite, actually," Fuji replied.

Chitose walked over the add side and served again. Shiraishi returned it with a one-handed backhand shot. Fuji let it fly past him, only tilting his head slightly, and Chitose was right there behind him.

Chitose smirked. "19 shots…" he said quietly. Fuji smiled and backed off, letting Chitose return the rest of the balls. Sure enough, after the 18th shot, the ball flew into the net on the other side.

"30-0!"

"Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami, huh?" Shiraishi said.

Chitose's smiled widened. "It has improved since last time."

"I can't wait."

Fuji didn't have time to blink as the ball drove into the fence on the opposing side. What had happened? Fuji blinked. "Your serve has improved, too, Senri," he said. Chitose smiled. He served again. Fuji kept his eyes open, and sure enough, found that he couldn't see the ball. Before he knew it, it was stuck in the fence again.

"It's not the disappearing serve, it's the 'Invisible Serve'," Chitose stated. "My invention."

"Impressive," Kintarou stated flatly.

"Game, Fuji Chitose Pair! 1-0! Change court!" the referee shouted.

As they passed each other, Kintarou said, "The game begins now." Fuji looked over. His eyes were golden.

Shiraishi was serving now, with a flash in his eyes. His serve, though, wasn't anything too impressive, not like Chitose's serve anyway. It was just a bit powerful, but Chitose returned it with ease. Fuji smiled. As expected. The return was slightly high, though, which gave Kintarou a chance.

"Super Ultra Great Delicious Diarinsha Yamaarashi!!!" he shouted and smashed the ball. There seemed to be an aura around it stronger than anything Fuji had ever seen. He knew it wouldn't be wise to return it, so he dived out of the way just in time. Chitose did the same.

There were murmurs heard around the courts. "What was that shot…?" people were saying. Fuji was asking the same thing. He had seen it once when Kintarou had played that one-point match against Echizen, but it had been nowhere near this. It felt so much more intimidating when you were standing on the court.

"Kintarou…" Chitose said. "I hadn't expected this."

"Game, Shiraishi Kintarou Pair! 1-1!" the referee shouted. Fuji nodded. That would be their only game. It was his turn to show off now.

He tossed the ball in the air and served a normal serve. Kintarou returned it, and Fuji smirked. There would be no way that they would avoid his newest shot. He ran up and took the ball out of the air, hitting it with extensive slice. He used the reverse side of the racquet to apply even more spin. "Is this the Gatekeeper of the Hecatoncheires?" Shiraishi said. "It's useless, I know the trick already."

Fuji just kept on smiling. Shiraishi hit it like he had during their match back in junior high school. Instead of hitting the cord like Shiraishi had expected, it flew up and hit the fence on Fuji's side without even bouncing once. "It's useless, neh, Kuranosuke?" Fuji said, eyes opening. "Your ball won't go in the court anymore."

Shiraishi's eyes widened. "W-What?!" he shouted. Fuji merely smirked. "You…"

Fuji served again, and Shiraishi returned it this time, aiming for Chitose. He dodged it, letting Fuji return it. He did the same shot, or so Shiraishi thought. He hit it low at an attempt to force it in, but it dove right into the bottom of the net. "You're kidding me. Gatekeeper of the Hecatoncheires…has two versions?! And they both look the same."

"Your ball won't go over the net or in the court, Kuranosuke," Fuji said. "As long as you can't tell which one I'm going to hit."

At Fuji's serves, Shiraishi and Kintarou kept aiming them at Chitose, who kept dodging them until the score was 40-0. They returned the serve at Chitose again, who, instead of dodging, murmured, "3 shots…" and smashed it into the corner to end the game.

-----------------------------

With a combination of Fuji's Gatekeeper and Chitose's Saiki Kanpatsu, the pair managed to bring the score up to 5-1, and they were at 40-30. "Match point, Fuji Chitose Pair!"

They were all panting for breath. "This match will be ours," Chitose said quietly so that only Fuji could hear. Fuji nodded.

"Let me handle this point," Fuji said. Chitose agreed. Fuji served, and when Kintarou returned it, he aimed it at Fuji.

"Fuji Syusuke, what do you have up your sleeve this time?" he said as he hit the ball. Fuji returned it normally. "No Gatekeeper, hmm?"

Shiraishi hit the next ball at Chitose, who also normally volleyed it back. "Switch!" Fuji shouted. Chitose ran to the back and Fuji in the front. They barely managed to regain composure in time, resulting in a lob coming from their side.

Kintarou jumped. "Super Ultra Great Delicious Diarinsha Yamaarashi!!!" he shouted again, just like he had in the second game. He smashed it with full force.

_Syusuke, this is your time to shine,_ Chitose thought. Fuji's aura glowed around him as much as Kintarou's around his shot. Facing the back of the court, Fuji gripped the racquet with both hands. Using centripetal force to absorb the smash, he returned it so that his shot landed on the baseline.

The people who were watching, which was by now quite a crowd, said, "That deadly shot was returned?!"

But Shiraishi was there in time. He knocked it with topspin. Fuji backed up and took the ball out of the air. He applied serious backspin to the bottom of the ball and hit it back. The ball spun along the cord and barely dropped over the net. _No…_ Shiraishi thought.

Kintarou, had backed up expecting Fuji to have hit some sort of a smash, was now running forward. Seeing the ball fall to the ground, he thought, _I'm going to make it! I'll take it on the bounce_—but he was interrupted when he saw what Fuji's ball did when it hit the ground. Hitting the ground, the ball spun again in circles until it slowed to a stop. The entire crowd was speechless.

The referee was the one to break the silence. "G-Game, set, and match! Won by Fuji Chitose Pair, 6-1!"

Then everyone broke into cheers. Fuji looked around. He spotted a familiar figure nearby; it was the boy from yesterday. He gave Fuji a thumbs-up and Fuji smiled back.

Trotting back to Chitose's apartment happily, Fuji said, "Now wasn't that fun?"

"You really are a genius, Syusuke," Shiraishi said. "Pulling off that shot right there. And modifying it a little, too."

"I know I am."

"I thought you said you haven't been playing tennis lately," Chitose pointed out.

"I haven't," Fuji replied. "I developed that move (the modified Gatekeeper) a while ago."

"You had that move in your arsenal and you still lost to Tezuka?"

"No, I created that in the summer, actually. Disappointing isn't it? I wish I could play him again now."

"Ah well," Kintarou said. "What's done is done. I'm not much of a doubles player anyway."

"We'll all have to take showers when we get inside," Chitose said, digging out his key. They were standing at the door now, but before he could push the key into the slot, the door opened quickly.

"You're _finally_ back?" a voice said. Fuji looked up.

"Oshitari-san!" he said. "It's great to see you again!"

Kenya looked at Fuji. "And you brought a beauty along with you. Welcome, Fuji. I'm sorry I wasn't here last time you came."

Another deep voice said, "He was actually shopping for a gift for you." Fuji looked behind the light haired boy.

"Oshitari Yuushi?! What are you doing here?!" Fuji nearly shouted.

"Visiting my cousin," Yuushi simply replied.

"Looks like we'll have a full house tonight, then!" Kintarou said happily. "We'll have to sleep in the living room."

"Oh yeah, by the way, Fuji, you're on TV," Yuushi said.

Fuji blinked. "What?!"

"You were apparently playing a doubles match, and they're showing it on TV."

Fuji ran into the apartment, kicking off his shoes outside. The moment he saw the TV, he almost shouted out loud. "Senri! Kuranosuke! Kintarou! It's us!"

They all ran into the apartment now, and Kenya closed the door. "This is so embarrassing!" Kintarou whined. "We lost!"

"But it's amazing. It's just—" Fuji was interrupted by the shrill ring of his phone. He dug it out of his bag, and when he saw the name on the screen, his eyes widened. "Mada-mada-kun (1)?" He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Fuji-sempai. You're on TV," Ryoma said in his usual curt manner.

"I kind of noticed that," Fuji replied.

"You're playing well. It makes me want to play you."

Fuji smirked. "Maybe you will soon, then. Next time I visit Tokyo."

Fuji could almost see Ryoma pull his hat down. "Mada mada dane."

Fuji smiled and hung up. "You didn't let me talk to him?!" was Kintarou's first reaction.

Fuji laughed. "He probably would've hung up anyway. Don't worry about it; I'll let you talk to him next time." Kintarou nodded, seemingly content.

Fuji turned to the rest of the group. "So, what do you want to do?"

* * *

Did you like this chapter? I think it was so much fun writing the tennis match! I love writing them, because I play tennis. I really think Fuji should invent a modified Gatekeeper of the Hecatoncheires! If he did, he would be unstoppable! For now. xD Anyway, please review! 


	10. Chapter 10: Kanagawa

**Osaka**

**Summary:** For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

I happen to like this chapter a lot. I will leave it to you to find out what happens here, though! I'm thinking of writing a sequel, and I've already thought of what it is to be about. That will put my TezuFuji fiction on hiatus, though. But that's okay. Maybe. Or else the sequel will have to wait until I finish my TezuFuji one. One or the other. Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy!

**Chapter 10:**

_Fuji turned to the rest of the group. "So, what do you want to do?"_

Chitose blinked. "Ah, I just remembered something. The US Open Finals are one today. They are normally on really late at nigh or early in the morning, but today, they're playing them earlier. Want to watch?"

Everyone else nodded. "Wow, Senri, you really keep up with these things, don't you?" Fuji said pleasantly.

Chitose shrugged. "I'm a tennis player. Of course I do."

"Besides, it's a Grand Slam Tournament," Kenya added.

"He even watches the little ones, though," Kintarou muttered. Fuji chuckled.

"I normally watch the Grand Slam ones, but I haven't really been keeping up with them lately," Fuji said.

"Bummer," Chitose replied. "Most of them are in the summer."

"I know. But I'll watch it today with you guys. I want to see who wins."

"It'll start in a couple of minutes," Kenya said. "We're not going to just sit here for that long, are we?"

"I certainly hope not."

Yuushi nudged his cousin in the back. "Why don't you give him your gift?"

Fuji blinked. "You got me a gift?"

"Did you hear what I said when you got in?" Yuushi asked. Kenya escaped through the hallway to retrieve Fuji's gift.

"I was too surprised at the fact that you were here," Fuji replied.

"Ah, reasonable enough," Yuushi said. Kenya returned with a wrapped object in hand.

"Here," he said. Fuji gladly took it a carefully unwrapped the pale blue paper. Inside, there was a framed photograph of Shiraishi, Chitose, Fuji, Kintarou, Kenya, and Yuushi standing in front of a forest. They were all smiling into the camera. Fuji gasped.

"I remember this," he said.

"There's more," Kenya said and handed him another wrapped package. Fuji peeled the paper off of the new package and found a box. He opened it and inside, there were Styrofoam peanuts. Fuji reached into the sea of Styrofoam peanuts and pulled out a statue. It wasn't just any statue, though; it was a statue of the picture that he had just seen. Someone had intricately carved out everyone in the picture, and even some of the trees in the background. They also applied color. It was beautiful, really.

"I-It's beautiful. I don't even know what to say!" Fuji said.

Yuushi nudged him. "Did you know that he made it himself?" he whispered. Fuji's eyes widened.

"Are you serious?!"

Yuushi merely nodded. Kenya looked down, blush evident on his face.

"That's amazing! You're so good at that! It looks perfect!"

"Thanks. I went out and got the photo printed. But I made the frame and the statue-thing. It's to congratulate you for making it into that college."

Fuji looked at his other friends. "Why didn't you guys get me things?" he said, mock-angrily. He jumped up and hugged Kenya. "He's my new best friend."

This time, Chitose spoke up. "Aww, come on, Syu-chan!"

Fuji smiled and hugged him, too.

"And now it's time for the match!" Chitose said, receiving a quick hug from Fuji and rushing over to the TV. The picked up the remote and turned it to the channel. It was currently just broadcasting the opening talking and stuff from the announcers. The first competitor was just walking onto the court.

It was Fuji who first chuckled. The chuckle turned into a laugh. "Man, I can hardly recognize him anymore."

The others looked at him. They looked back at the TV. Fuji continued. "He looks so much older and more mature."

It was then that they realized who they were looking at. "Echizen?!" "Ryoma!" and "Koshimae?!" were heard throughout the room. Fuji laughed again.

"Took you guys long enough."

Chitose frowned. "He doesn't even look like himself anymore."

"Well, of course he grew."

The second player was walking onto the court now. Fuji's eyes flashed open. "No matter where I am, I can always recognize him," he whispered.

"He hasn't changed at all," Shiraishi replied quietly. It was as if they spoke any louder, the walls would crack.

And indeed, Tezuka Kunimitsu hadn't changed one bit. He had the same hair, the same appearance, and the same intense aura around him. Just a little taller, Fuji thought, though against Ryoma's height growth, it looked like he hadn't grown, either.

The people on TV were talking about the return of the Japanese 'legacy', Ryoma Echizen. Fuji smiled. They knew that Ryoma had made it to the US Open when he was 12. They knew that he had won his first Grand Slam Tournament when he was 14, and they knew that he was the defending US Open champion.

Of course, they also knew about Tezuka Kunimitsu, Japan's No. 2. They knew that Ryoma had yet to beat Tezuka at Wimbledon and the French Open, not being able to beat Tezuka on courts other than hard.

The two were now warming up, hitting balls back and forth, going to the net, and serving. The camera focused on Ryoma and then on Tezuka. Fuji watched their movements carefully, wanting to watch if they had changed that much from junior high. Tezuka still played with that same authority, and Ryoma still played with confidence and arrogance. This would be an interesting match, Fuji thought.

------------------------------------

Fuji sighed and leaned back into Shiraishi's knees. "Annoyed about something, Syusuke?" he said. Fuji was currently sitting on the ground, since there was only enough for so many people on the couch, and his friends had complained that he was fidgeting too much.

"Too many commercials," Fuji sighed.

Shiraishi laughed. "They have to take a break sometimes, too, you know. And besides, this is live."

Fuji sighed again. Shiraishi leaned forward and ruffled his hair. Fuji swatted his hand away. "Don't do that."

Shiraishi chuckled. "See? There are worse things than commercials."

"…Can I sit on the couch now?"

"No," they all replied firmly. Well, Fuji thought, it was worth a try.

"Look!" Kintarou suddenly shouted and pointed at the screen. Fuji's eyes snapped back to the television. Tezuka has just hit a lob over Ryoma's head. Fuji was surprised, since he didn't remember Tezuka playing so…conservatively. Ryoma ran back to reach it, since it was his own set point. He ran to the back of the stadium and returned the ball between his legs, just like he had done that one time at Seigaku while playing Kikumaru. It flew right past Tezuka and into the court behind him.

"Game and set, Ryoma Echizen!" the announcer shouted. The crowd in the stadium roared. Since Ryoma was sort of from the US, the majority of people were cheering for him.

Ryoma was up two sets. The pro males would play five-set matches in the later rounds of the Grand Slam tournaments.

"Looks like Ryoma's going to win," Yuushi said.

"They're both tired, though," his cousin pointed out. Fuji looked again at the TV. The camera was on Ryoma, sitting on the bench, leaned back, panting and sweating.

"Hn," was all Fuji said. "We'll see."

------------------------------------

In the end, Ryoma did end up winning. Tezuka came back two sets, but Ryoma pulled through in the end. "Game, set, and match, won by Ryoma Echizen!" Fuji heard come through the speakers. He nearly twitched at hearing Ryoma's given name come first for the zillionth time. But of course, being in a room full of tennis players again, they all caught it.

"Don't like the American way of saying names?" Shiraishi asked.

Fuji shook his head. "Not at all."

As if on cue, the interviewer asked, "Anything you would like to say, Mr. Ryoma Echizen?"

Fuji slapped his forehead and the rest of them laughed. The room turned silent again in close to a second, though, when Ryoma stated speaking. But all he had said was, "Mada mada da ne."

Fuji laughed. "Just like in Junior High. Ahh, the good old days."

"Syusuke, you're making us feel old," Chitose said. Fuji laughed more.

"And what about our runner up for the second year in a row, Mr. Kunimitsu Tezuka?" The room went dead silent again. Fuji's heart was pounding in anticipation for what his former boyfriend would say. Would he mention him?

Tezuka sighed and clutched his silver plate tighter. "I'm not happy with losing to my former teammate two years in a row at a Grand Slam tournament, but I guess it can't be helped now. I just have to do better next year." He didn't force a smile on or anything. He just stood there. "I'd like to thank my parents, teammates, and coaches for helping me to reach this level." As expected, Fuji thought, his English was flawless. "But I'd also like to thank my best friend, Fuji Syusuke. Or in American, Syusuke Fuji. Thanks for helping me and supporting me the entire way. I'm sorry I had to leave you, but just to let you know, we'll always be best friends. And I know you're watching this right now, so don't even try to turn off the television."

Fuji was instinctively reaching for the remote, but at hearing that last statement, he snatched his hand back. He could almost hear Tezuka put emphasis on the word 'friend'. Of course he didn't really do it because he was _Tezuka Kunimitsu_, but he knew that that was what he meant. It disgusted Fuji, really.

"I'm done with this," Fuji said simply, and tried to get up. His wrist was grabbed though, and he was pulled back gently but sternly by Shiraishi. He landed in his lap.

"Don't you want to listen to the rest of it, Syusuke?" Shiraishi whispered. Fuji blushed, but nevertheless sat still.

"That's all I have to say," Tezuka said.

Fuji this time grabbed the remote and flipped of the TV in one swift motion. "I'm tired," he said, pushed himself off of Shiraishi's lap, and stalked into the bathroom with his pajamas.

Fuji's friends looked at each other. "This isn't going to end well," Chitose said.

"Way to point out the obvious," Shiraishi retorted.

"Should we go in there?" Yuushi said.

"Just give him a moment," Kintarou replied. They sat still for as long as they could (let's hazard a guess of around two to three seconds...?), and Shiraishi was the first one to snap.

"I'm tired of this. Let's go and see what's up."

"What if he's really changing?" Chitose said.

"His problem, not ours," Shiraishi replied.

Chitose merely rolled his eyes. "Wow. You're the most caring boyfriend ever," he said sarcastically, but followed him anyway.

Kintarou looked at his sempais. "We'll let them handle it. They know Syu-chan the best anyway." They continued to sit in silence.

Shiraishi knocked on the door quietly. There was no sound. He tried the knob, and surprisingly, it was open. He opened the door, Chitose silently following him. He found Fuji sitting against the wall with his head in his arms. His pajamas were on the counter, forgotten. He wasn't really sobbing, since no sound was heard, but Shiraishi could tell that he was crying.

"Syu-chan?" Chitose said. He walked up to him and touched his shoulder, but Fuji turned away. He then looked up, eyes closed.

"Sorry, guys," Fuji said, trying to keep his voice even, but not being very successful. It quivered. Finally, Fuji couldn't keep his eyes closed any longer, and he opened them to tears streaming out. Shiraishi leaned down and wiped the tears off Fuji's cheeks, and soon, Chitose joined.

"Syusuke, you don't have to put on a mask for us. We understand," Shiraishi said. "It doesn't matter what Tezuka thinks of you as, it just matters what you think of him."

"You're with us now, Syu-chan. We'll never hurt you." Chitose wrapped his arms around Fuji, and Shiraishi proceeded to do so, too. Fuji just nodded.

"Let's get you fixed up. You can change and we'll all do something fun," Shiraishi said.

Fuji nodded again. "A moment, please," he said. Shiraishi kissed his cheek and then left.

Fuji pulled out his cell phone, which was stuffed into his pocket. He texted a familiar number. "Dear Tezuka," he typed. "Congrats on winning the runner up for the US Open. I watched the entire thing. That between the legs shot by Echizen was pretty cool. He's gotten better, neh? And your speech was very sweet. I think that's the most you've ever said at one time. I'll talk to you later. Your friend, Fuji Syusuke." He hit the send button, and changed into his pajamas.

When Fuji walked out of the bathroom, he was greeted by a lot of glomps and raining popcorn. The popcorn was a courtesy of Kintarou, who was now holding an empty plastic bowl in his hand.

"Wow, guys," Fuji said, laughing. All remnants of his crying were gone now. To the others, it looked like he had just changed. But his friends knew him better than that.

"Syu-chan! Try some of my Super Ultra Great Delicious Kintarou Home-made Popcorn!!!" Kintarou shouted. Fuji couldn't help but laugh even more.

"It's lying all over me, now," he pointed out.

"I have a lot more in the kitchen!" Kintarou replied. He skipped the direction of the said place. Fuji smiled. His friend was so hyper. Whenever he was in a bad mood, Kintarou could always cheer him up. "HELLO-O? Syu-chan?"

Fuji blinked and saw Kintarou waving a full bowl of popcorn in front of his face. "Sorry about that. Just spacing out for a little bit."

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Chitose asked.

"Didn't Fuji say that he was tired?" Yuushi said. Everyone looked at him, since he was the only one who still called his friends by their family names.

"Just call us by our given names, Yuushi! No need to be so formal! We're friends, right?" Kintarou said.

"And besides, Syu-chan isn't _really_ tired, is he?" Shiraishi said. He leaned down and kissed Fuji on the cheek. Fuji shook his head, and Yuushi nearly twitched. How did Fuji's friends in Osaka know him better than the other tensai did, even though they attended the same school for three years? It was a mystery he had yet to figure out.

* * *

Okay, so how did you like this chapter! Some TezuFuji drama here. xD;; I don't think there will be much more of it coming up in this fiction. We're almost done, too! It only goes to 12 chapters, sadly. But again, there's the sequel. Please review! 


	11. Chapter 11: Okinawa

**Osaka**

**Summary:** For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

Okay, this chapter is long, too! Again, over 3000 words! Sorry for the slightly late update, since I was writing the sequel last night and had to go to bed, and this morning I woke up late and had to catch a ride to school from my mom, and all that kind of junk. But better late than never! Anyway, the sequel is hard to write! I actually had to write out an outline before I wrote the story! xD;; But it's coming along, slowly but surely. I don't think many of you will like the ending for this fanfic. And that's what sequels are for. Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy!

**Chapter 11:**

_It was a mystery Yuushi had yet to figure out._

Fuji woke up to warm arms around him on both sides. He looked to his left. There was Chitose, hugging him tightly, like a teddy bear. Fuji smiled. And to his right was his boyfriend, Shiraishi, who also had him in a tight embrace. Fuji leaned back into his pillow and sighed in contentment. It was nice to feel loved again. It was _really_ nice after three years of not even having _one_ boyfriend.

Fuji had transferred to Hyotei after he had broken up with Tezuka. It was a painful ending, but it was something that Fuji had survived through, barely. Fuji had figured out that he wasn't the only one precious to Tezuka after practice one day.

That day, in junior high, was a bright sunny day. They were all tired and sweating from the unusually hot weather and difficult practice. Everyone had already left to walk home, and Fuji had yet to change and shower. He didn't like it when everyone was in the clubroom at one time, since it just made it worse than it already was. He always just walked around or hit a tennis ball against a wall until everyone else left. His sister didn't mind that he got home late, as long as he got home. That day wasn't any different. Fuji picked up a tennis ball and smacked it against the wall, with his usual form. When he heard the last regular besides Tezuka come out of the clubroom, Fuji caught the ball with his customary grace, and gathered his stuff.

He walked over to the clubroom and laid his hand on the doorknob. Just as his finger touched the warm metal doorknob, though, he heard shuffling noises inside. He instinctively pulled his hand back again, and walked over to the window. The shades were closed, but Fuji could see if he looked at a certain angle. He crouched down and looked up through the window. He saw his captain in there, of course, but that wasn't the problem. Fuji had seen his captain with his arms around another person. Fuji didn't quite catch who it was, but instead just ran out of the school as fast as his legs could carry him, yet silently. He hadn't even checked to see if it was a boy or girl.

The next day, Fuji had acted normal, but trying to avoid Tezuka as much as possible. It wasn't a terribly difficult feat, since Tezuka seemed to be avoiding him, too. But it wasn't just Fuji. Tezuka was avoiding the entire team, and all of Seishun. No one knew what was going on, except for Fuji. Fuji guessed that the mystery person had been from a different school. Fuji didn't bother himself with finding out who it had been, but instead ended his relationship with Tezuka the next time he had seen him.

It was in the library. Tezuka was leaning against a wall, reading something. Fuji had guessed that it was a book for class or something. Fuji didn't tell him right up to his face, but he might as well have done so. He handed Tezuka a note; a black white piece of paper. It was folded twice. Fuji smiled warmly, yet there was a bitter feeling behind the smile. He trotted out of the library. The note had read, "We're done." Fuji never figured out if Tezuka had actually read it or not, but he probably did, since he stopped talking to Fuji often after that, and Fuji didn't mind it at all.

The next year, he had transferred to Hyotei, after Atobe had recruited him. Being at Hyotei was really a thrill. Especially meeting tennis players that rivaled Seishun's own. The way Hyotei organized their regulars, with the losers getting cut was one of the main 'attractions', as Fuji would call it. He had really looked forward to playing in tournaments.

The first year at Hyotei was very interesting indeed. Most of the players didn't know of Fuji's sadistic ways, and he genuinely enjoyed switching locks on lockers, or putting frogs in the clubroom. Fuji decided that Hyotei was even more fun to tease than Seishun, because most of them were a bunch of rich bastards. It got boring after a while, but it always did. Fuji merely shrugged it off. They lasted longer than Seigaku, anyway. He still surprised them with strange stunts every once in a while, though.

In the second year, nothing much happened. It was pretty much develop-relationships-and-friendships-with-people year. Hyotei had won the Nationals again that year, though, even beating Rikkai Dai and Seishun. All of the other high school tournament teams were surprised, though, since Hyotei's team was full of juniors and freshmen. Except for Rikkai and Seigaku, since they were exactly the same way.

The third year, though, was by far the most interesting year. Everyone knew that they probably wouldn't see each other again for a while after the year, so they spent a lot of time with each other, of course. The third year tennis team regulars shared an especially close bond, after being together for almost six years, with the exception of Fuji. He was accepted into the secrets and parties quite quickly, though, since they didn't exactly want to know what would happen if he wasn't.

At the end of the year, they had all signed a giant sheet of paper and put what college they were all going to. Many of the students were attending one of Hyotei's four sister schools around the world, and still many were going to the US. Fuji had gotten his acceptance letter relatively late, so he signed at the bottom, not bothering to look at anyone else. And no one else bothered to tell him, which was perfectly fine with him. Fuji knew that he would feel weird in another region of the country, but it couldn't be helped, since it _was_ the best art college in the country.

"Syu-su-ke?" Fuji blinked. Shiraishi was tapping his shoulder lightly. "Are you up?"

Fuji nodded and turned his head to look at Shiraishi. He smiled lightly. "Saa…don't you sometimes wish you were back in junior high? Or maybe high school?"

Shiraishi blinked. "What brought this on?"

"Nothing."

He shrugged. "Well, sometimes, I guess. But if I were in high school, you wouldn't be here right now, right?"

Fuji smiled more. "Good point."

He suddenly got a sharp tug the opposite direction he was facing. He felt his back fall into Chitose's chest. "Don't you think you could be a little quieter?" he whispered into Fuji's ear. A light pink color spread across Fuji's face.

Shiraishi frowned. "Stop it, Senri."

Chitose laughed. "You know I'm just playing with you." He released Fuji from his death grip.

"Anyway," Fuji said, "our classes are going to start soon. So we won't be able to visit you guys as often."

"As long as you call, I think I can live," Chitose replied. Fuji merely rolled his eyes.

Shiraishi rolled over and his hand accidentally hit the remote control, turning on the TV. "Oops," he said. He motioned to turn it off, but Fuji stopped his hand.

"Wait," he said. The channel was a news channel, and there was some news about a college student partying with his friends.

They learned that the student had come from Osaka College of Arts. "That's strange. Most people at our college are pretty well behaved," Shiraishi commented. The kid had apparently gotten himself drunk and had crashed his car into a tree when getting back to the college. They found his body this morning.

"His name is Nakajima Tetsuya," the anchorwoman was saying.

Shiraishi blinked. And blinked. And blinked again. Finally, he said, "That's my roommate."

Fuji and Chitose looked at him in perfect sync. "Wow. Did you know him?"

"Not really. We barely spoke two words to each other."

Fuji shrugged. "Well then, I suppose you won't be too emotionally scarred, no?"

"Plus, you'll get a single room now!" Chitose added. They laughed.

"People like that are so stupid. I wonder how he got into a college like that," Chitose said.

"You don't have to be smart to be good at art," Fuji pointed out.

"Then I suppose you two are just odd."

"Thanks," Fuji retorted.

"Not a problem."

"Syu-chan! Sen-chan! Kura-chan!!! Breakfast is ready!!" They all looked up to the excited face of Tooyama Kintarou.

"We didn't know you were awake," Fuji said.

"Where did the others go?" Shiraishi asked.

Kintarou shrugged. He walked over in an apron and kicked one of the random lumps of blankets. Or so Fuji thought. The lump growled. "Don't. Kick. Me."

They laughed. Fuji changed the subject. "I didn't realize that you were an accomplished cook, Kin-chan."

"I guess it comes naturally. It's weird because no one expects me to cook."

Fuji smiled. "It's true; you don't really look like the cooking type to me, either. But that's okay."

"You look just like the artsy type, actually," Kintarou commented. Fuji chuckled.

"And that's a compliment?"

Kintarou nodded. "I think so."

"Do you realize how pointless your conversation is?" Shiraishi interrupted. Kintarou jumped.

"Oh yeah! You guys should probably eat your breakfast now before it gets cold!"

The four that were awake walked over to the table and sat down while they waited to be served. Fuji looked around. Chitose's hair was messed up, but it was most of the time, anyway. Shiraishi looked fine, as if he hadn't even gone to sleep, besides the fact that he had his pajamas on. Fuji blinked. He must have some magical hair-fixing powers or something.

A ceramic plate clattered in front of him. Fuji looked down at his breakfast. The plate was filled with western foods, like pancakes, sausages, and eggs. "Do you like cooking western food?" Fuji asked.

"It's easier," Kintarou said simply. "I can cook Japanese, though," he added quickly.

Fuji ate his breakfast quickly, since he found that he was hungry and he pretty much liked to eat anything that was served to him. Of course, he finished first out of the four of them. "Someone's hungry," Chitose teased. Fuji smiled in return.

"I know I am," he said.

"Syu-chan should probably stay until noon to find out if you won the photography contest," Chitose suggested.

"I don't think that would be a problem," Fuji said. "I wonder if Kenya and Yuushi will be up by then."

"What about me?" a deep voice said from above Fuji. He looked up and found himself face to face with Yuushi. He was leaning on the back of Fuji's chair.

"Your cousin—"

"Would still be sleeping," Yuushi finished.

"Wow."

"It's only 9:00 AM. He's gotten up _much_ later before," Yuushi said.

"Oh," Fuji said. He changed the subject. "So, what so you want to do? Play a game or something?"

"Sure, but what game?" Shiraishi said.

They sat in silence for a while, and suddenly Kintarou jumped up. "Let's play truth or dare!" he shouted excitedly, and received a shush from everyone in the room. He sat back down again and covered his mouth. "Let's play truth or dare!" he whispered.

Yuushi shrugged. "I'm fine with that. Any objections?"

Silence.

"Truth or dare it is, then!"

"Yippee!!" Kintarou sang. "Remember, no picking the same thing more than twice in a row, and no picking the same person after someone just picked them!" Everyone nodded. "I'll go first!" Kintarou looked around the room excitedly. "Syu-chan! Truth or dare?"

Fuji smiled. He knew that he would be picked first. "Truth," he said, to everyone else's surprise. Even Kintarou blinked for a second.

"I have to think of a question. I didn't think you'd pick truth!"

Fuji smiled wider. The younger boy thought for a moment, before having his face light up like a lightbulb.

"Syu-chaaaan…who was the first person you kissed other than people in your family?"

Fuji's smile didn't falter. "Koji-kun, of course. He was my best friend."

"And how old were you?"

"Eleven."

Everyone looked at him. "EEHHHH??" they shouted.

"C'mon, everyone, that's not that young. My sister got her first kiss even younger."

They all sweat dropped (kind of). "I guess the Fuji family just has the charm," Chitose whispered to Shiraishi, who nodded.

"That means it's my turn," Fuji said happily and pointed to himself. He looked around quickly, pretending to be thinking, though everyone knew that he had his target in his mind already. "Ku-ra-no-su-ke," he said.

Shiraishi sighed. "Dare."

Fuji smiled. He had known that his boyfriend would've chosen dare. "Good, good," he said self consciously, and figured that out when everyone stared at him with horror. He looked around the room, ignoring their stares. Noticing that their plates were still on the table, he said, "Ku-ra-chaaaan…I dare you to lick al the remnants off our plates, spit them in a cup, and then drink it down again."

They all continued to stare at Fuji in even more horror, except for Shiraishi, who looked like he was going to faint. "All of it?" he squeaked. Fuji nodded.

Shiraishi finally sighed and stood up again. There was complete silence in the room. All they could hear was the shuffle of Fuji leaning back on the couch. They were all looking at him, wondering if he was actually going to do it, but they knew that he would, since facing Fuji after not doing something he told you to would be worse than just doing it in the first place. Even if it was something as sickening as this.

Shiraishi looked at the plates in disgust. He picked up his own plate which fortunately didn't have much on it. And started to lick it.

The first one to burst out laughing was, predictably, Fuji. At first, he just smiled. The smile turned into a chuckle, and Fuji covered his face. Then, the chuckle turned into a giggle, which then turned into a full out laugh. He laughed even harder when he saw Shiraishi's ears turn red.

Fuji was still chuckling when Shiraishi walked out of the kitchen, a little pale. "Now you know what Inui Juice tastes like," Fuji said.

Shiraishi's eyes widened. "You guys had to drink that stuff every day??!"

Fuji smiled. "I happened to like it, thank you very much." And everyone sweat dropped (again). "But no one else did. Saa…I wonder why. Compared to them, you're pretty good. It's impressive that you're still standing right now."

Everyone nearly fainted. "Well, I supposed it's my turn, then," Shiraishi said. Chitose whispered something to him, and Shiraishi nodded. "Okay, Chitose, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Chitose replied, not wanting to go through what Shiraishi just had, though he knew that Shiraishi wouldn't be able to think of something so unbearable as Fuji had. Fuji was the master sadist, anyway.

Shiraishi was the only one who had actually thought of a good question _and_ a good dare. Kintarou hadn't thought of a question, and Fuji just knew what his target was going to pick (come on, he's a tensai), so he hadn't bothered to think of a question. "Okay, Chitose, have you ever set your sister up with anyone?"

"WHAAAT?!" he nearly shouted. "Of course not! What made you think that?!"

Kintarou snickered and said, "Well, considering the way that you set Shiraishi up with Fuji one handedly, you'd probably be pretty good at it."

"Mainly by force, though," Shiraishi muttered.

"What did you just say?" Fuji said with a sweet smile plastered on his face, but poison in his tone.

"Nothing," Shiraishi answered quickly.

"Okay, since Yuushi's the only one left," Chitose said and smirked, "truth or dare?"

Yuushi rolled his eyes. "Dare."

Chitose's smirk widened. "I knew it!" he said. "I dare you to…"

"If you knew it, why do you have to think of a dare?" Yuushi asked.

"Because I'm debating which _one_ to give to you," Chitose replied.

"…What exactly do you mean by which one?" Yuushi inquired hesitantly.

Chitose ignored his question and instead replied, "Ah! I've got it!" Everyone held their breaths. "Yuushi, I dare you to kiss Syu-chan!"

Yuushi paled and Fuji's eyes snapped open. "Really?"

Chitose rolled his eyes. "Of course. You can't back down from a dare now." The two victims looked at each other. "I'm sorry to get you involved, Syu-chan, but I just couldn't resist. When I said that I was decided on which one, I meant which person in this room," Chitose explained. But Fuji and Yuushi kept looking at each other.

Finally, Yuushi sighed, got up, and walked over to where Fuji was sitting. Fuji almost instinctively backed away, but caught himself just in time.

"Oh yeah, one more thing," Chitose said. "It has to be a real kiss, full on the lips, for at least five seconds." He completely ignored the glare that Shiraishi sent him.

Yuushi sat down on the other side of the couch, since, apparently, Fuji had the entire couch to himself. He placed and arm around Fuji's back and pulled him in for an experience of a lifetime. Fuji had no choice but to put his hands on Yuushi's shoulders, or else they would come crashing into each other. Completely on the lips did Yuushi kiss him, and Fuji had to admit that he was a pretty good kisser. Fuji melted into the kiss like he would Shiraishi's, and five seconds later, they pulled away slowly. Fuji looked at the taller boy with a slightly dazed expression while Yuushi smirked down at him.

"You're—you're a good kisser," Fuji said. Shiraishi crossed his arms, and Chitose chuckled slightly.

"Good thing I got a picture of that," he said. Fuji looked at him immediately.

"You did WHAT?!" he shouted.

Chitose swung his camera back and forth by the strap. "Picture."

"I didn't even hear it," Fuji said.

"Probably because you were so _absorbed_," Chitose replied.

Fuji blushed and looked down. "Shut up."

"You guys are so loud," a voice said sleepily.

"Kenya, you're finally awake," Fuji said.

Chitose was laughing and trying to talk at the same time. "Kenya, you should've woken up about 5 minutes earlier! Your cousin was kissing Syu-chan!" He laughed more while Kenya looked at Yuushi strangely.

"Truth or dare," Yuushi replied simply.

"They looked so CUUUUTEEE!" Chitose shouted. "I'll show you the picture later."

"Syu-chan is _mine_," Shiraishi said with his arms still crossed.

"I know, I'm just saying that if you didn't exist, Yuushi would be my first choice for Syu-chan!"

Kenya looked at the clock. "You guys, it's already 11:15. You might want to get going to the award ceremony now," he pointed out.

"Waa! We should get going!" Chitose said. He was a little hyper that morning.

"We should all go!" Kintarou said. "It'll be fun!!"

"Okay, we'll go, right Kenya?" Yuushi said and nudged his cousin.

"Fine, we'll go. You guys should be glad that I'm already changed," he said. They all grabbed their coats and were out the door in a flash. After all, when you put a time limit on tennis players, there's nothing that they can't do.

* * *

The roommate dying part...that will have significance in the sequel! It is -for now- being called 'Flash Effects'. One of my friends thought of it for me. Anyway, please review! This is the second to last chapter for this fic! D; 


	12. Chapter 12: Osaka

**Osaka**

**Summary:** For Fuji, Osaka is a place of warm yet chilling and surprising yet predictable memories. Shitenhouji, Fuji, and Atobe centric.

**Warnings:** Shounen-ai

**Pairings: **Shiraishi x Fuji, Atobe x Fuji, slight Chitose x Fuji

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis is not mine.

This is the last chapter to this story (I was trying to make it 13 chapters, but I failed. xD;;). I think this might be the shortest chapter, too. I borrowed characters from other anime for some of the contestants in the contest. I don't know some of their personalities, because I basically went to Wikipedia and searched random anime, so maybe they're not right. Some of the characters I know, and some of them I don't. But anyway, please read, review, and enjoy! Thsi is the last chapter for this fiction. I'm writing the sequel now. I'm on chapter 5 or so. Please bear with this (horrible) ending until the sequel comes up. Thanks!

**Chapter 12:**

_After all, when you put a time limit on tennis players, there's nothing that they can't do._

_**Includes characters from Mai-HiME, Magical Canan, Suki na Mono wa Suki Dakara Shoganai, Princess Princess, and Strawberry Panic. They aren't mine either.**_

They were all running to that same hotel where they turned in their entry. It probably looked strange, Fuji mused, all of them running down the street together like that. He wondered what teenage girls in cars thought. He smiled.

They were panting by the time that they got to the hotel. It was jam packed with people already, but there were still some open chairs in the back, reserves for entrants. Fuji and Shiraishi sat down, while the others stood at the end of the row. Fuji asked Yuushi for the time, since he knew that the blue haired boy wore a watch. Instead, though, Chitose answered. "It's 11:49."

"How did you know? You're not wearing a watch," Fuji pointed out.

Chitose pointed at the western wall. "There's a clock right there."

Fuji looked. "Oh, right," he said. "I guess I'm just nervous."

"I'm sure you're going to do well!" Kintarou said. Fuji smiled.

"Thanks." The last ten minutes felt like ten hours. Fuji kept fidgeting again, and especially bouncing his knee, much like the people around him. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the microphone went on. Fuji looked at the speaker, which happened to be Sachiko, the girl from the hotel the other day.

The microphone customarily squeaked in the beginning, but it got better after she tapped it a few times. "Thank you all for entering and coming to the award ceremony of our Osaka Autumn Art Contest for the year 2007. This year was phenomenal, with more people entering than we've ever had before. The judges had the most difficult time deciding the winners, but we've finally come up with the top ten.

"Before we announce the winners, I'd especially like to thank our sponsors who help us with a contest every season, and the professors from the Osaka College of Arts that volunteered to help judge these masterpieces. Even though the classes have not started yet, they still take time from their busy summer schedules to help us with this event. Professors, will you please stand?"

The entire front row stood up. Everyone clapped, and in the midst of the clapping, Chitose whispered, "I bet she says that there were more people who entered that year than ever before every year." Shiraishi and Fuji looked at each other.

"She's a nice lady," Shiraishi commented, and Chitose shrugged. The clapping died down and was replaced by tension in the room that Fuji could virtually see.

"I see you're all nervous to find out the winners. So I'll stop talking now and give you guys what you came here for!" The professors stood up again—there were eight of them—and walked up to the podium. Sachiko's sister, Ayumi, got up next to Sachiko, who was on the end.

The professor on the opposing end was a lady in her middle ages. She held up an envelope and started reading off of a card that was probably behind it. "The tenth place winner is called 'The Branches'." The professor took something out of the envelope. It was the art, obviously. It was a picture of branches outside a window, taken probably at dawn, and the branches were almost black, contrasting greatly with the pastel-like light. "The artist is Miss Kuga Natsuki. Congratulations."

A dark haired girl with pale skin and green eyes stood up calmly. She walked up to the professor, accepted her art and medal, bowed, and sat back down. "Congrats again, Kuga-san," Sachiko said. Everyone clapped.

The second professor was a guy. He was quite young, maybe in his late twenties, and had dark black hair. He said, "The ninth place winner is called 'Midnight'." He took out a picture from his envelope. It was a dark picture, almost completely black. The only thing that could be seen on the picture was bright green eyes of a cat. "The artist is Kojima Emi. Congratulations."

A young-looking high school student stood up. Her friends around her were cheering like mad, but she seemed quite reserved. Her hair was a very light purple and her eyes were red. She walked up the podium, accepted her things, smiled shyly, and returned.

The next professor was another male. He had greenish hair and looked also in his middle ages. "Our next winner is 'Mt. Fuji'." He held up a picture of Japan's tallest mountain taken on an overcast and foggy day. It was taken from a helicopter, since there was a visible ring of fog around the mountain. It was probably taken at dawn, also. "The artist is Hashiba Sora. Congratulations."

A boy with messy (really messy) long blue hair stood up, looking kind of embarrassed. His friends were clapping and cheering for him. He walked up to the podium, accepted his stuff, smiled happily and walked back.

Fuji watched other people walk up to the podium as their names were being called. The pictures were somewhat original, and Fuji saw some pretty good ones. Surprisingly, there were none of the cliché ones that Fuji and Shiraishi had mentioned. Fuji smiled. The people of Osaka were too good for that.

It finally came down the second place person as a pretty boy named Shihoudani Yujirou with long golden hair sat down. Ayumi put on a cheerful face as she brought out her envelope. "Our next winner is a photograph called 'The Colors of Shadows'," she said. The photograph was of a girl who had blue hair cropped short like Fuji's. Her face was shown in the picture, with light depicted on one side and dark on the other. The photograph was tinted blue. "The artist's is Suzumi Tamao, with respects to her model, Ohtori Amane. Congratulations."

A girl with blue hair tied in a bun in the back walked up to the podium, with a taller, older girl, the one in the picture, following behind. They accepted the trophy, thanked Ayumi, bowed, and sat back down.

Sachiko stepped forward and took the microphone from her sister. "Now, what you've mostly been waiting for, the first place winner. This photograph was really beautiful, and I judged it myself. It really deserved to win." Everyone was holding their breath, and it was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. "The title of the photo is…" Sachiko paused there for a dramatic effect. "'The Forbidden Love.'"

Fuji's eyes snapped open as he let out his breath. He looked at Shiraishi who looked back at him. His friends standing at the end of the row patted him on the back and gave him thumbs-up signs. "The artists are Shiraishi Kuranosuke and Fuji Syusuke, and they are also the models in the picture," Sachiko said. She held up the image, and a loud applause rang through the entire lobby. Fuji and Shiraishi stood up together, hand in hand, and walked up to accept the picture.

When they got to the podium, Sachiko whispered, "Aren't you guys happy I let you enter? Great job!" She couldn't be heard by anyone other than them, though. They both smiled at her and accepted their awards. The trophy was golden, and the top part was a piece of paper curled up at the end. There was a camera sitting on the paper. The neck of the trophy was a bright blue color. The bottom of the trophy said, "Osaka Autumn Art Contest 2007; First Place."

When Fuji got back to his seat people were already packing up their stuff and leaving, murmuring about the winning photos. Fuji was hugged by Chitose, and Shiraishi was glomped by Kintarou. "CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! See?!?! I told you you'd do well!!!!!" he shouted. Fuji smiled.

"Thanks, he said.

While he was walking home with his friends, his cell phone rang. Fuji handed the trophy to Shiraishi and pulled it out of his bag. He opened it and looked at the screen, but instead of it immediately picking up, it showed that he had 10 calls at the same time. He was given the option to send them all to voicemail or pick up on one of them. Fuji selected pick up on one of them and scanned through the calls to see which one he would answer.

He was having a dilemma at that moment. There was a call from Yuuta and Saeki, and Fuji couldn't decide which one to pick up on. His heart was telling him Saeki, and his mind was saying Yuuta. Fuji then remembered Atobe's words. _Always follow your heart and your mind. Because if one of them is the right answer, then they both should be saying the same thing._ Fuji looked at his phone again and scanned through the rest of the calls. His eyes fell on one name, and he suddenly knew which one he would pick up.

He hit the OK button and brought the phone to his ear slowly. "Hello?" he said.

"Fuji?" a deep voice replied. "I almost can't believe you actually picked up."

"Tezuka," Fuji replied. "I can't believe you actually called me."

"I heard about your award. I actually saw it on TV. Yours was…really good," Tezuka said. Fuji smiled.

"Thanks."

There was a silence for a short moment.

"So, was that your new boyfriend?"

"Yes."

"How long has it been, Syusuke?"

Fuji's eyes snapped open. When Tezuka called him by his first name, it meant he was serious about something. "Three years. Three years, four months and six days. April 21, 2004. And now, it's August 27, 2007."

"Fuji, look, I'm—"

"I know. You're sorry. It's alright, Tezuka. You're apology was three years overdue, but it's still accepted. I'm over it now."

"You are?"

Fuji sighed. "Tezuka, really. I'm fine." He changed his voice to a teasing voice. "Ku-ni-mit-su, you sound like you're surprised. Are you—"

"No." Fuji laughed.

"Then life is good. Right?"

"…Yeah."

"Alright then. I'll talk to you later, Tezuka."

"Bye, Fuji. And thanks for the text message."

"No problem." Fuji hung up and smiled. His friends looked at him. "A lot of people called, but I picked up Tezuka's call."

Shiraishi patted his back. "Good job. It was the right thing to do."

Fuji put his hands behind his head. "Aaah, I love Osaka. Feels like I've lived here for my entire life."

His friends looked up at the cloudless, bright sky and smiled along with him. "You're right, Syu-chan."

* * *

The ending sucks, right? That's what sequels are for! I'm going to do my very best...and I'm going to write as quickly as possible! xD;; Please review! 


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